The Secret of MissingNo
by Team Rocket Rose
Summary: Where did MissingNo and 'M come from? What mysterious connection do they have to Team Rocket? And why do they both have more issues than Mewtwo? Pls R&R, Ch. 8 & 9 now posted!
1. Prologue: Escape of the Clones

Prologue: Escape of the Clones  
  
"Radio Mr. Giovanni, at once!" yelled the panicked young intern. "They've escaped!"  
  
Scientists dashed madly around the main laboratory of the Cinnabar Island Research Facility. Utter chaos ensued. If one of those… THINGS were to escape into the outside world, who knows what might happen?  
  
Professor Eric Stone, a man in his mid twenties, wrung his hands as he glanced at the shattered window in dismay. Just when everything had been going so well…   
  
Once the DNA from that Mew eyelash had been extracted, creating a new Pokemon had actually been quite simple. But creating the "ultimate" Pokemon that Giovanni demanded was another story altogether. But no time to think about that now. Those clones… those half-completed clones had escaped.   
  
If there had been time to fully complete and test these new Pokemon, their escape into the wild might not have been a problem. Or at least a much smaller problem. But these were still in the experimental stage… no one had yet been able to create a genetic Pokemon that could safely be captured in a Poke Ball and stored on a PC without fear of "side effects". There were rumors of terrible computer viruses spreading through the world, infecting every computer on the network, if an unfinished or 'glitched' Pokemon was sent to a computer storage system.   
  
These mistakes must be contained, at any cost.  
  
"Professor, what should we do?" cried a laboratory assistant, on the verge of panic. Everyone in the lab paused to hear their superior's decision.  
  
"The only way off the island is by Surfing. Neither of those 'mistakes' knew that attack, so they can't have gotten far," Stone said, glancing at their expectant faces. He addressed the three senior members of the research team. "Mark, take a group of five and scour the west coast. Tina, you do the same for the east coast, and Janet, you take the south coast. Take along some of the new extra-strength Master Balls… if you can catch these clones, do so. At any rate, report back to me as soon as you find anything unusual."   
  
As they ran out of the Research Facility, Stone turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone else needs to remain calm. We have the situation under control. Remember that Mr. Giovanni is counting on us to create the world's most powerful Pokemon… and we're going to do it, despite this minor setback!"  
  
The remaining scientists still looked skeptical, despite the pep talk. Stone tried to smile at the small group, feeling anything but optimistic about these recent developments.  
  
"Now let's get this place cleaned up and get back to work. We have Pokemon to create!"   
  
The other researchers slowly returned to their workstations, murmuring to one other. The young Professor gazed out the broken window once again, grabbing his ever-present mug of coffee from the lab table. Why did this have to happen now, when things had been going so well? They hadn't created an actual Mew-clone yet, but they were getting closer with every new experiment. The most recently developed clones had been progressing quite nicely. Stone was especially proud of the Water Gun and Sky Attack he'd managed to teach the first clone. The second clone's natural ability to mimic the opposing Pokemon's type was an unprecedented achievement.   
  
But Giovanni had not been impressed when Stone had called him about these new breakthroughs. "You fool!" the Rocket Boss had shouted over the videophone, a vein bulging on his forehead. "That's the best you come up with, after I've poured thousands of dollars into your research facility? Simple imitation? A common Ditto can imitate attacks!"  
  
"But sir," Stone had argued. "This Pokemon doesn't need to Transform! It can-"  
  
"Stop wasting my valuable time and money. Report back to me if and when you create something powerful. If you can't handle this simple job, I have no choice but to hire someone more competent than you."  
  
Stone took a large gulp of his coffee. "The man doesn't even realize what he's asking for," growled the young Professor, swirling the hot liquid around in his mug. "We're working on the impossible, and all he cares about are instantaneous results. He's asking us to play God, just so he can control the world's most powerful creature. Doesn't he realize that these kind of things take time?"  
  
Stone slammed his fist down on the table. Curse that Mew! Curse that Rocket member, Miya something or other, who supposedly discovered that creature's existence almost 20 years ago! Once she brought back conclusive evidence of a powerful "new" Pokemon, Giovanni simply HAD to have one. He moaned and complained like a spoilt brat, getting his mother, Madam Boss, to send out countless search parties to capture a Mew. The elusive kitten Pokemon simply could not be found.   
  
When Giovanni assumed exclusive control of the Team Rocket organization, he changed his tactics. If the real Mew was impossible to find, he reasoned, all other plans were to be put on hold until one could be scientifically created. But no longer was Giovanni content with owning a legendary Mew; now he wanted something even better… a creature similar, but superior in every way. Project Duplicate was born.  
  
As one of the top graduates from the Pokemon Scientific Institute, Stone was quickly recruited for work on the Team Rocket cloning studies. He was ecstatic to be placed in control of the Cinnabar Research Facility's work on Project Duplicate. Working for the Rockets wasn't really a problem with Stone; he always figured that once he got some field experience, he would go legit. Provided he could find any legit work.  
  
That was always the problem with this line of work. There were always organizations set on using cloning technology for less than reputable purposes. Never once had Stone heard of someone hiring specialists in genetic technology for noble purposes, like treating diseases. Maybe someday, after that cursed kitten was cloned…  
  
His reverie was interrupted as another scientist, a woman several years older than him, ran to his workspace, breathing heavily.  
  
"Professor!" she cried, gasping for air, "Giovanni's sent his flunkies down here… they're looking for you!"  
  
"For me?" gasped Stone. All thoughts of legitimate work vanished as panic consumed his consciousness.  
  
"The Boss is furious that… those things escaped… he holds you responsible..."  
  
Wide-eyed, Professor Stone stared out the shattered window as a large black helicopter came into view… 


	2. Chapter 1: The Mystery Begins

Chapter 1: The Mystery Begins  
  
The young trainer marched triumphantly from the Viridian City Gym, proudly gazing at his eight Gym Badges, including the Earth Badge he had earned moments before. It had been a tough battle, but he had raised his Pokemon well. The shadowy Gym Leader had no choice but to award the green, leaf-shaped Badge to the victorious young boy.   
  
"So, I'd imagine you're heading for the League, eh?" asked his father, one of the elite guards of the Gym. "Ready to battle the Elites?"   
  
Jeremy smiled. "You bet I am! I might do a bit more training before I go… don't want to lose at Indigo."   
  
His father nodded. "Smart strategy, son. I'd recommend training on Cinnabar. There's a lot of high-levelers there, lots of battle experience. Got your team all picked out?"   
  
Jeremy pointed to the red and white spheres at his belt. "Graveler, Pidgeot, Hypno, Persian, Growlithe, and Venusaur. There were others I wanted to take but I can only choose six. I'm a little worried about fighting Dragon-types though… maybe I should teach one of mine an Ice move…"   
  
The guard patted his son's head fondly. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. Give your mother and I a call as soon as you've become a victorious Pokemon Master!"   
  
Jeremy glanced around the city streets anxiously. "I really wanted to say goodbye to my brother before I left… you know, the "great Professor" of the family. Maybe at least one of us can make something out of himself." He made this last comment with more than a touch of resentment in his voice.   
  
"Now Jeremy," his father began, a serious note in his voice, "you know that what happened at Cinnabar wasn't your brother's fault. But the Boss still wasn't pleased. He needed someone to blame and Eric was technically the one in charge there. The Boss's temper sure isn't something to be toyed with, trust me on this."   
  
"I know," sighed Jeremy. "But we haven't heard from him in ages… maybe I kinda… miss him a little." Suddenly he became defensive. "But don't you dare tell anyone I said that! I-"   
  
His father nodded solemnly. "I ain't telling nobody."   
  
After a few seconds, Jeremy's optimistic attitude returned. He was usually a very cheerful person, and never remained down for long. He sighed, readjusting his backpack on his shoulders. "Well, wish me luck. I'm off to train a bit, then I'm heading for the Plateau."   
  
"Good luck." The elite guard saluted as the young boy marched off.   
  
Jeremy walked away from the Gym, heading for the main street of town, when he suddenly tripped over a prone figure, wearing a dirty long coat and clutching a stained travel cup with both hands. The person appeared to be an older man, half-conscious and muttering to himself.   
  
"Sorry," Jeremy mumbled. "I should've been watching where I was going."   
  
"'s ok…" slurred the figure. "Hey… kid?"   
  
Jeremy looked down at the ragged-looking man lying on the ground. "Huh?" He was wondering what this crazy old fool could want from him.   
  
"…Kid? Are you… in a hurrrry?" The man took a quick gulp of his beverage.   
  
"Um… no…" began Jeremy nervously. One false move and my Growlithe's gonna fry this dude, he thought, resting his hand on a Poke ball at his belt.   
  
"Thhennn... lemmeshow you s-s-s-somethin...g." The man was obviously inebriated.   
  
As if on cue, a wild caterpillar Pokemon, a Weedle, hopped out of the bushes.   
  
"Watchhhh this," mumbled the figure, pulling a grime-covered Poke ball from his coat pocket. The old man threw the ball, and the small creature was instantly caught. "Course," the old man slurred, "you haveta use your own... Pokemon... ta weaken... the- the enemy."   
  
Jeremy was unimpressed. "I know how to catch Pokemon," he snapped impatiently. "I'm on my way to the Indigo League!"   
  
"You are?" asked the old man incredulously. Suddenly, his speech seemed to become much clearer. "You've already gotten all eight Gym Badges?"   
  
Jeremy nodded. "Yeah... I just won the Earth Badge. I still have to train a little more, though." This old guy seemed strangely familiar, now that he was speaking normally.   
  
"You're not stopping by Cinnabar Island, are you?" the stranger asked excitedly.   
  
"Actually, that's where I was headed. Pidgeot was going to Fly me there after I pick up a few supplies."   
  
Suddenly the stranger leapt to his feet, showing amazing agility for an old man. "Then you might really be able to help me!" he cried. "It's a long shot, but it's possible you could help me regain my lost dignity." Jeremy looked at him quizzically. "Don't you recognize me? Jer, it's me, Eric… your older brother!"   
  
Jeremy's jaw dropped as the stranger pulled off a wrinkled mask and tossed off his long coat; his clothes were dirty, and his face hadn't been shaved in days, but there was no denying the man's true identity.   
  
"But you- why did you- where...?"   
  
"How else can I stay hidden from Giovanni? He'll never think to look here in Viridian, his home city, and he'll never suspect some crazy old man." He took a long drink of his coffee. "Ahhhh coffee. I don't know where I'd be without my glorious caffeine."   
  
"I think that caffeine has gone to your head," remarked Jeremy. "You're acting totally insane."   
  
"Now hear me out. If you could do me this little favor, I'd be eternally grateful."   
  
"What is it you want?" asked Jeremy, arching an eyebrow. "And what does it have to do with me?"   
  
"I guess I'd better start at the beginning. Back on Cinnabar Island, about a year ago, we were trying to clone a Mew. You know, of course, that a group of scientists did succeed in that endeavor, and created Mewtwo. But there were a lot of unsuccessful experiments before they did."   
  
The young Professor got a far-off look in his eyes as he continued his story. "I was the head researcher in the original cloning experiments. We were actually making progress when the unthinkable happened. Two of our experiments escaped."   
  
"Escaped?" asked Jeremy. "What were they?"   
  
"Unfinished Pokemon. Glitches," he said, sadly shaking his head. "When Giovanni heard that these mistakes had gotten loose, his fury couldn't be contained. He blew up like an Electrode. And vowed that the person responsible would be severely dealt with." The Professor shuddered. "We tried to catch the Glitches, but we never found them. I think you need to Surf along the coast, but none of our scientists had a Surfing Pokemon on their person. By the time someone thought to transfer one from their PC, Giovanni had already found out our mistake and sent in his guards. If my Kadabra hadn't Teleported me out of there, they would have caught me..." He took another sip of coffee before continuing. "The Boss will have my neck if I dare show myself, even now. Ever since then, I've been hiding out… keeping hidden in the shadows whenever I can, and trying to find a skilled trainer to recapture those mistake Pokemon for me. I don't have any other option… not until those Glitches are caught. Maybe if I bring them back to the Boss, he'll give me my job back… or at least stop hunting me like some common criminal."   
  
"These Glitch things you're talking about… what do these things look like, anyway?" asked Jeremy. "Do they look like Mew, or Mewtwo?"   
  
"That's the strangest part. One of them didn't have an actual 'body' as such; we were going to work on physical body development after its abilities were perfected. Some sailors have reported seeing something glowing on the coasts of Cinnabar, late at night. They say it looks like a backwards-L shape. That might be the first of our missing Glitches."   
  
"So these things just look like scrambles?"   
  
"Not the other one. The more powerful of the two looks like a ghost."   
  
"Gastly? Or Haunter?"   
  
"Neither. Not Gengar either… or any other Ghost Pokemon." Professor Stone sighed, taking another drink of his coffee. "I've not seen it myself, but there are numerous reports that the East coast of Cinnabar is haunted by a ghostly apparition, unlike any Pokemon ever seen before. Shrouded in a thick mist, it lurks silently in the darkness and…"   
  
"As interesting as this is," interrupted Jeremy impatiently, "what does it have to do with me?"   
  
Professor Stone reached into the pocket of his tattered overcoat and pulled out the grimy Poke ball he had caught the Weedle in. Pushing the center button, he released the caterpillar into the shrubbery and handed the ball to Jeremy.   
  
"It may not look impressive, but you're holding the pinnacle of Poke Ball technology in your hand. This is a Master Ball, one of only a few left in the private sector. We had tons of them back in the Cinnabar Lab, but now Giovanni keeps a tight rein on these things, so they're really hard to come by. You can instantly catch any Pokemon with this."   
  
"Any Pokemon?" asked Jeremy incredulously. "Wow."   
  
Stone smiled. "They gave me this with my diploma when I graduated from the Institute… huh, it seems like forever since then… I've always kept it as a kind of good luck charm. Anyway, I'm entrusting this to you now. Use it if you see one of those Glitches while you're training on Cinnabar. Ordinarily I'd never ask someone else to finish my duty, but as I said before, I don't have a choice in the matter."   
  
Jeremy turned the Master Ball over in his hands. It looked like it had originally been a pinkish-purple color, but was now so covered in filth that its surface lacked any sort of shine. Hard to believe something so dirty could be so rare and valuable.   
  
"Well, I'll try…" the young trainer began. "But no promises."   
  
Professor Stone nodded, putting his disguise back on. "I know you'll try your best, that's just the kind of person you are. I wish I had some way to thank you… ah yes!" Reaching into his coat pocket again, the Professor pulled out something that looked like a shiny red pendant and handed it to his younger brother.   
  
"What's this?" asked Jeremy. It was a large reddish-orange translucent crystal, shaped like a ball of flame.   
  
"Fire Stone," grinned the Professor. "I found it about a month ago, but didn't know what to do with it in my present state. I overheard that you're training a Growlithe. This'll make it evolve into Arcanine… whenever you're ready to evolve it."   
  
"Gee, thanks," said Jeremy, placing the pendant around his neck. "I'll Fly straight home if I catch one of those Glitch things."   
  
"Good luck," said the Professor, resuming his position on the ground. "And good luck at Indigo too… little brother." 


	3. Chapter 2: Surfing and Scamming

Chapter 2: Surfing and Scamming  
  
Pidgeot landed gently on the soft, warm sands of Cinnabar Island. Jeremy slid off the large bird's back and softly patted its feathery head.   
  
"Thanks, Windslicer," he said quietly. "You deserve a nice rest." Pulling the empty Poke Ball from his belt, Jeremy aimed it at his companion. The bird vanished in a beam of bright red light.   
  
Jeremy took off his baseball cap and smoothed his hair, readjusting his short ponytail. Flying on Pidgeot's back was a thrilling way to travel, but it certainly didn't do much for physical appearance. The young trainer sighed deeply. It was certainly warm here, a lot nicer than it had been in Viridian today. Jeremy removed his black bomber jacket, stuffing it into his red knapsack, before heading to the Pokemon Center.   
  
"Joy, have you ever heard of Glitch Pokemon?" he asked as the pretty nurse treated his tired Pokemon.   
  
"It's funny you should mention that," she answered, smoothing her pinkish-red ponytails. "There was a trainer in here this morning talking about Glitch Pokemon. After I treated her Pokemon, she said she was going Surfing around the island, trying to catch one. She might be able to give you some information on them."   
  
"Oh yeah?" asked Jeremy. "What did she look like?"   
  
"Well… she had long blonde hair, and she was training a giant Blastoise," said Joy with a smile. "You shouldn't have too much trouble locating her."   
  
A machine dinged, and Joy turned around. "Here you go," she said, handing Jeremy the six small spheres. "Your Pokemon are back to perfect health." She nodded once. "We hope to see you again!"   
  
Jeremy headed outside, the pleasant ocean breeze gently ruffling his light brown ponytail. A few sea birds circled overhead as he walked to the beach, searching for the girl the nurse had mentioned. The beach was empty, except for a few girls with fishing rods and a young couple having a picnic.   
  
Finally he spotted the person Joy had told him about. The girl was skillfully Surfing on the back of an enormous Blastoise, not too far out to sea. She looked several years younger than his brother. Jeremy watched her for a while, admiring the size and strength of the creature she was riding.   
  
"Excuse me!" he finally yelled. The girl turned around, and Jeremy waved anxiously to her. She pointed to herself, and Jeremy nodded. The girl shrugged, said something to her Blastoise, and approached the shore.   
  
Gracefully leaping from the giant turtle's back, the girl faced the young trainer, a quizzical look on her face. "You were calling me?" she asked, brushing windblown strands of blonde hair from her eyes. "What did you want?"   
  
"That's, uh, that's a really nice Blastoise you have there," Jeremy said, trying to think of something intelligent to say.   
  
"Oh, thanks," she said, smiling. "I started off with a Squirtle, once upon a time, and we've been training together ever since. My name's Rose, by the way."   
  
"I'm Jeremy… I'm a Pokemon trainer. I'm trying to train for the Indigo Plateau…"   
  
"Sorry, I don't have time for a battle now," said Rose. "Nothing personal. If you'll excuse me… I'm really in the middle of something…" She turned away, preparing to resume Surfing.   
  
"Something to do with Glitch Pokemon?" asked Jeremy, giving her a sly smile.   
  
"How'd you know about that?" she asked defensively, spinning around to face him. "Are you spying on me or something?" She and her Blastoise glared at the young trainer.   
  
"No, no!" Jeremy answered, hastily trying to explain himself. "No, I'm looking for Glitch Pokemon too! Joy said I should ask you about them! I need to find the Glitches, but I don't even know where to look, except that they're somewhere on Cinnabar Island. At least that's what my brother said…"   
  
"You're interested in Glitch Pokemon, huh? Well, I haven't had much luck finding any yet," Rose admitted, her expression softening. "All the rumors I've heard say that the Glitches can be found on the East coast of Cinnabar." She sighed. "But I've been looking all morning and I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary."   
  
"There are rumors about these things? All I know is they were supposed to be Mew clones that got weird and escaped."   
  
"Really?" Rose seemed excited. "I've always wondered about the origins of the Glitches! There's so little accurate information about them." With a far-off smile, she gazed out at the waves. "Ever since I was a little girl, I always had a fascination with the mysteries of Pokemon. I've been to the Ruins of Alph, I own a full set of Unowns, I even tried catching some Legendaries, but nothing intrigued me more than the reports of Glitch Pokemon."   
  
"What exactly HAVE you heard about them?"   
  
"Let's see..." she began, "I've heard that they don't look like any kind of Pokemon the world has ever seen. Something about one that looks like a scramble, and one that looks like a ghost. They're supposed to cause computer viruses... oh! And they're supposed to have the amazing ability to clone items. Something about residual effects from the cloning technology that created them. There's more to it, but it's highly technical. I barely understand it myself."   
  
"Well, I need to catch one," said Jeremy, thinking of the Master Ball in his backpack.   
  
"You do?" she asked, giving him an odd look. "What would a trainer like you want with one of the Glitches? Aren't you afraid it'll mess up your PC data?"   
  
"Huh?" asked Jeremy. This was new information to him.   
  
"There are rumors that if you catch a Glitch and send it to your PC, it'll put a virus in the Pokemon Retrieval System. Worst case scenario, you can't access any of your stored Pokemon. Then there's nothing you can do except format and reload your system, which means losing all your Pokedex information… not to mention your stored Pokemon."   
  
"Whoa… I didn't know about that…" Jeremy hesitated. Convenient how his brother hadn't mentioned that little risk.   
  
"That's why I only carry five Pokemon with me at a time," Rose explained. "I don't want my storage system to get screwed up. You might wanna transfer one of yours before you go Glitch-hunting."   
  
Jeremy paused, thinking aloud. "Who should I send back? Persian, maybe… or Graveler…"   
  
Something started beeping, and Rose quickly pulled a small communicator from her pocket. "Just a second," she said to Jeremy as she turned on the device.   
  
"Yes?" she said into the communicator, irritation in her voice. "Fine, I'll be there in a couple minutes. Yes, I'm leaving now." She switched it off, glaring at the device. "Hey, kid, I've gotta run. Mom needs backup on her latest mission. Again."   
  
Jeremy just stared at her, waiting for an explanation. One never came.   
  
"Uh, Rose? Before you go… um… I always wondered what Pokemon Surfing was like… is there a chance I could maybe borrow your Blastoise for a little while?" he asked hopefully. "Please?"   
  
The girl seemed taken aback by his question. "What, are you out of your mind? I'm not just going to hand over my very first Pokemon to some kid I just met five minutes ago."   
  
"Why not?" asked Jeremy, genuinely confused. "I always heard that trainers liked trading Pokemon, it helps them grow faster."   
  
"Yeah, well, how do I know you're not some little con artist who's gonna swipe my Squirty and run?" asked Rose skeptically.   
  
"I told you I'd trade!" Jeremy answered, slightly offended.   
  
Rose shook her head. "Nothing doing. Sorry, but I can't afford to take that kind of risk. Besides, I've gotta run…"   
  
Jeremy was getting frantic. His one opportunity at Pokemon Surfing was rapidly slipping away. "Wait, Rose… you said you only carry five Pokemon with you at a time, right?"   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"What if… what if I trade you TWO Pokemon if I can borrow Blastoise?"   
  
Rose sighed. "Stubborn, aren't you? Well, maybe… as long as they're good Pokemon you're willing to trade."   
  
"How about… Persian and Graveler?" Jeremy asked hopefully.   
  
"Well… all right. I have a Meowth myself, so I know how to handle cute kitty cats. And I've always wanted to play around with a Rock Pokemon. Make sure you're careful with my Squirty, ok?"   
  
"Of course I'll be careful."   
  
Rose leaned close to Jeremy's face, her voice barely above a threatening whisper. "And no thoughts about swiping my Pokemon and running. If I return and you're nowhere in sight, I'll just take your Poke Balls to the nearest police station. They'll put out a search on your ID number, and the next time you heal up at a Pokemon Center… busted!" A second later, her pleasant smile returned just as quickly as it had vanished. "No offense of course..."   
  
Jeremy felt a little nervous as he handed the two Poke Balls to Rose. She seemed nice enough, but he felt sorry for anyone who messed with her. This girl was definitely tougher than she looked. "Goodbye, Persian. See ya, Graveler," he whispered. "I'll see you guys in a little while, ok?"   
  
Rose walked to her water Pokemon and lightly patted its huge head. "Now Squirty, this boy wants to try some Pokemon Surfing, just like we've been doing. I'll be back in just a little bit, so you have a good time playing in the water, ok?"   
  
"Blaaaast!" Squirty bellowed.   
  
Rose lowered her voice. "And keep an eye on this trainer. If he tries anything stupid, don't hesitate to dump him in the ocean and go for help."   
  
"Ok, now, you have fun!" she said in her normal voice, blowing a kiss to her Pokemon. Squirty happily blew several transparent bubbles from his cannons. "Oh, you're so silly!" the girl laughed, handing the empty Poke Ball to Jeremy.   
  
"If anything happens, just take Squirty back to the Pokemon Center. I should be back within an hour," Rose said, reaching into her backpack. Jeremy nodded.   
  
"Go, Sapphire!" Rose dramatically tossed a Poke Ball into the air and a huge, sparkling ice-blue bird Pokemon materialized in a brilliant flash of light.   
  
"Whoa... you have an Articuno?" Jeremy was obviously impressed.   
  
Rose grinned, climbing onto the ice-bird's back. "Told ya, I love mysterious Pokemon… and I think my Articuno is one of the prettiest," she said, lightly stroking the shining feathers at Sapphire's neck. The legendary bird made a low cooing sound. "I'll see ya in a bit, Jeremy. Ok, Sapphire, let's go!"   
  
Jeremy watched as the huge bird flapped its wings and lifted gracefully into the air. Within seconds, Rose and her legendary Pokemon had vanished from sight. The young trainer then turned to Rose's Blastoise, which was splashing in the ocean playfully, despite its huge size.   
  
"Um… hi," he began shakily. The Blastoise stared at him, and Jeremy felt more than a little nervous. "Uh, Rose said that, um, you and I could try Surfing…"   
  
The giant turtle Pokemon swam to the edge of the water and looked expectantly at Jeremy.   
  
"Um, I should, uh, climb on then?" he asked nervously. The Blastoise nodded, and Jeremy tentatively placed his hands on one of Squirty's enormous water cannons. As he raised his foot onto the creature's back, the trainer somehow got off balance and slipped off, landing face-down in the water.   
  
Spitting out sand and water, Jeremy pulled himself upright as Squirty chortled aloud. At the sight of the massive Pokemon laughing, Jeremy couldn't help but join in.   
  
"I'm pretty pathetic at this, huh?" he said, grasping the cannons again. "Oh well, here goes nothing."   
  
This time, Jeremy maintained his footing and stood awkwardly on the giant Pokemon's back. Squirty slowly began to swim away from the shore.   
  
"Whoa… careful!" yelled the trainer, teetering from side to side. After a few minutes, he seemed to get the hang of it, and began to enjoy the experience of Surfing.   
  
"Hey, this is pretty fun," he told Squirty. "It's like sailing, but without the boat… I can let you handle the steering."   
  
"Blaaast," agreed the water Pokemon.   
  
After traveling along the coast for about half an hour, Jeremy began to relax, watching the water Pokemon moving below the surface of the water. "I can see why Rose likes Surfing so much… I wonder when she'll be back," he mused.   
  
As several clouds drifted in front of the sun, Jeremy looked up from the school of Magikarp he had been watching and noticed a large unidentifiable object further down the shoreline. At this distance, it was impossible to tell what it was, but it looked like some kind of dark-colored Pokemon. Wonder what THAT is, he thought. How's it moving above the water like that? It's not swimming… looks like it's floating or flying or something. But it's not a bird Pokemon… is it?   
  
Squirty drifted closer to the dark object, but Jeremy couldn't seem to get a good look at it. It looked almost like a thick haze had enshrouded the object.   
  
As he strained his eyes for a better look, Jeremy faintly heard approaching sirens. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing a small army of police cars race down the Pallet Town Expressway Bridge towards Cinnabar. I remember Dad telling me they were building a bridge to the Islands… I guess they finished it, thought Jeremy absently. He returned his gaze to the ocean, but the dark mysterious object had vanished. Aww…it's gone! Maybe next time, he thought ruefully.   
  
The police cars were getting closer. Jeremy directed Squirty to the edge of the water, stepped off, and recalled the giant turtle Pokemon. "Wonder what's going on," he mumbled to himself. At a loud screeching noise from the sky, Jeremy looked up to see Rose and Sapphire, zooming overhead. The girl looked panicked, glancing over her shoulder and clutching onto her Articuno's back anxiously.   
  
"Hey, Rose, are you ok?" he called to her. She didn't seem to hear him. The young trainer looked at her more closely. Either his eyes were playing tricks on him, or she was wearing some kind of white uniform. There was an insignia on the front, but he couldn't make it out at this distance.   
  
A moment later, police officers rushed forward, knocking Jeremy aside. One of them aimed some sort of firearm at Rose and her Pokemon. Speechless, Jeremy could only watch helplessly as the officer fired, and the shot found its mark in Sapphire's neck. Rose screamed as she and her Articuno plummeted to the ground. Curious bystanders began to congregate behind the police cars, drawn by the fascinating scene.   
  
Police officers closed in on Rose as Jeremy watched in horror. "What have you done to my Pokemon?" she shrieked as an officer dragged her from the ground and slapped handcuffs on her wrists.   
  
"It was just a tranquilizer dart," explained a female officer brusquely, as Nurse Joy and several Chanseys rushed out of the Pokemon Center. "Nurse, please treat this Articuno… we had to shoot it with a T-34. Then keep it at your Center until further instruction."   
  
"Oh dear," said Joy, as her assistants carefully picked up the Legendary Bird and raced back to the hospital. "Don't worry, Jenny, I'll take good care of it," she called over her shoulder as she ran.   
  
Meanwhile, a male officer had pulled out a small card, and began reading Rose her rights. Rose was near hysterics by now, straining against the police officers who firmly held her arms. Jeremy, barely able to hear over the murmur of the crowd, pushed through nosy bystanders, trying to get closer to the girl whose Pokemon he had borrowed. As he approached, he noticed that she was indeed wearing a different outfit than before: instead of a typical trainer's outfit, Rose was now wearing black boots, a white miniskirt, and a cropped white shirt with a big red R on the front. Where have I seen a getup like that before? wondered Jeremy, still very puzzled by what was going on.   
  
The male officer finished reading the card and pulled out a small electronic device. "Now we need to check the ID numbers of your Pokemon," he explained gruffly. "Make sure you didn't steal any."   
  
"But I-" began Rose anxiously, but the device's electronic beeping cut her off.   
  
"AHA!" cried the male officer. "According to this, you have two Poke Balls that belong to other trainers." He flipped a switch on the device, and a red light switched on. The officer waved it in a wide arc around him, and the red light began pulsating, faster and faster, as he aimed it closer to Jeremy, who had finally gotten to the front of the crowd. He pushed another button and the machine gave a pleasant ring.   
  
"It's a match," said the female officer who had spoken to Joy. "Looks like this is the trainer that both Poke Balls belong to."   
  
"Look, Officer, we had-" began Jeremy, but the male officer cut in.   
  
"Stay out of this, kid," growled the policeman. "Let the professionals handle this."   
  
"But I didn't steal his Pokemon!" Rose insisted, desperately looking to Jeremy for help.   
  
"Do you or do you not have Pokemon in your possession that do not exclusively belong to you?" snarled the female police officer.   
  
"Well yes, but it…"   
  
"So you admit it then! That's all I needed to hear. You're under arrest for Pokemon theft, in addition to the other charges we have against you."   
  
Jeremy was stunned. "But Officer, it was just a trade…" he finally interrupted.   
  
"A trade?" asked the policewoman, giving Jeremy a quizzical look. The boy nodded emphatically. The policewoman smiled. "Oh, I understand."   
  
Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. Until the officer roughly grabbed his wrists and handcuffed him as well.   
  
"Then you're also under arrest, for being an accomplice to this woman!"   
  
The male officer pushed Rose and an open-mouthed Jeremy into the back of the squad car and slammed the door behind them. The pair of police officers jumped into the front seats and sped across the newly-constructed bridge that led north to Pallet Town.   
  
The young trainer glared at the blonde girl. "Exactly WHAT is going on here?" he demanded. "What's with the different outfit? Where did you disappear to before? Why were those cops after you? What did they arrest you for? And I don't even do anything, but they arrest me just for trading Pokemon with you. I need some answers."   
  
Rose smiled weakly. "Whoa, enough with the third-degree, Jeremy! It's a funny story, really," she whispered, half-apologetically. "You see… I'm a Team Rocket member."   
  
Jeremy gasped. "Team Rocket? You're in... but I thought… aren't you…?"   
  
"Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "I AM a trainer and researcher, specializing in mysterious Pokemon. Once upon a time, I started off as a legitimate Pokemon trainer. I did quite well, even defeating the Elite Four. But I needed more of a challenge." Rose pensively stared out the barred window. "It's no fun defeating little twerps who don't respect my fighting style. I like status-affecting moves, like Poison… those little brats always accused me of cheating. But I wasn't cheating!" She clenched her handcuffed fists angrily as her eyes narrowed.   
  
Looking over, she half-smiled at Jeremy's freaked-out expression. "Sorry for yelling. But it just got old. I joined up with Team Rocket about a year ago, doing small-time stuff."   
  
"Like what?" This entire subject was totally new to Jeremy. This was the first time he'd actually talked to a Rocket member.   
  
"Remember that call I got earlier? That was my mom. She's a Rocket too, an elite. They just opened a scam Poke Mart on Seafoam Island, and…"   
  
"Scam Poke Mart?"   
  
"Steal stuff from trainers, sell it back to them for higher prices," she quickly explained. "Pretty easy when there's no real shops for miles. And if a trainer wants to sell something, or needs change, you give them counterfeit cash. I came up with that last part myself." Rose smiled, as if pleased with her dubious accomplishment. "Mom ran out of fake money, so I was supposed to deliver another batch. But by the time I got there, the cops had gotten wise to the whole deal. The Rockets running the shop had split, then I show up, holding the fake cash."   
  
She smiled wryly, more than a touch of sarcasm in her voice as she continued. "Can't imagine how they discovered I was up to anything suspicious. Think maybe the big red "R" on my shirt was their first tip-off?" 


	4. Chapter 3: The Slammer

Chapter 3: The Slammer  
  
The male officer roughly shoved Rose and Jeremy through the door of the first cell on the right wall. He quickly slammed the door shut, turning the key in the lock. Aside from one small window, the only source of light came from a flickering fluorescent bulb in the corridor. Jeremy blinked repeatedly, trying to adjust his eyes from the bright sunlight outside to the dimness of the prison.   
  
A few minutes later, footsteps approached the cell.   
  
"Hey, kid." Jeremy looked up to see a prison guard staring at him through the barred door. She was a heavyset, middle-aged woman with spiky black hair. Her face wore a perpetual scowl.   
  
"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself.   
  
"Ya get one phone call. Follow me."   
  
The guard quickly opened the door, grabbed Jeremy by his arm, and slammed the door shut. Jeremy shrugged to Rose as he was marched off.   
  
The guard led Jeremy to a small room at the other end of the corridor and closed the door behind them. Releasing his arm, she pointed at a grimy telephone a few feet away. "Make it quick." She crossed her arms and glared at the young trainer.   
  
Shakily, Jeremy lifted the receiver from the phone and stared at the numbers. Who am I gonna call? he wondered, anxiously drumming his fingers on the top of the phone. I can't worry mom and dad… but I gotta get outta here! Finally, he sighed and began to dial. The phone rang once before a voice answered.   
  
"Dad?" began Jeremy timidly.   
  
"Jeremy!" came his father's cheerful voice from the other end of the phone line. "This is certainly a surprise. Have you beaten those Elites already?"   
  
"Um… no," the boy answered, voice shaking. "Uh, Dad…? This will probably sound kinda weird. There's this… crazy old guy lying in the street, right down from where you stand guard at the Gym."   
  
"O…kay," said his father skeptically. Jeremy could almost feel him arching an eyebrow.   
  
"I need to speak to him. It's… kind of important."   
  
"Well… it sounds pretty strange… but if you'd call me all the way from wherever you're at to talk to this guy, it must be important. Just a minute, I'll be right back."   
  
After a few endless seconds, the Viridian guard picked up the phone again. "Ok, Jeremy, I think this is the guy you wanted to speak with. Good luck, hope to hear from you soon!"   
  
"Bye…"   
  
"Yessssh?" slurred a voice on the other end.   
  
"This is Jeremy," the young trainer said impatiently. "I don't have time for your idiotic games."   
  
"Hey, cool it," came Eric Stone's normal voice. "Geez, kid, you sound even more caffeinated than me! You gotta learn to relax."   
  
"Relax? RELAX?!?" shrieked Jeremy. "How can I relax when I've just been arrested?"   
  
"Arrested? Aw, Jer, what'd ya do this time?" Stone seemed to be taking this whole disaster as one big joke.   
  
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" screamed Jeremy. "If I hadn't tried to be a nice guy, and help you catch those stupid Glitch things, I never woulda gotten into this mess!"   
  
"Wait a minute," interrupted Stone, "what could this possibly have to do with me? Or the Glitches?" After a second, the professor began to giggle. "I never knew MissingNo was a master criminal…"   
  
"Would you stop it!" yelled Jeremy, quickly losing what little patience he had left. "Now listen to me! There was this girl on Cinnabar named Rose, an expert on Pokemon mysteries. She and I were going to hunt down those Glitches together, when…"   
  
"…Rose? Really? Wow… it all comes full circle…"   
  
"What, you KNOW her or something?"   
  
There was silence for a moment.   
  
"Hey, you still there?" demanded Jeremy.   
  
"Oh, sorry. Just remembering…" Stone's voice suddenly sounded distant. "She and I used to attend Pokemon University together, back in the day. We had been good friends, but somehow we lost touch after I graduated and began my cloning studies. Funny how life turns out, isn't it? I wondered if I'd ever see her again…"   
  
"Yeah, well, you can see her all you like if you get down here to the police station at Pallet. They've got her and me locked up. Something to do with a Team Rocket scam…"   
  
"Team Rocket?!? You mean she joined up after all? Whoa… I mean, we always talked about signing up for active duty after graduation but I never thought she'd go through with it… Good for you, Rose!"   
  
"Wait. Wait a minute. YOU were gonna be a Rocket?"   
  
"Uh… Jeremy? Didn't you ever realize that I technically WAS a Rocket member? I worked in the lab, but Giovanni paid my salary. Just like he pays Dad's."   
  
The young trainer was stunned. "Dad… Dad's a Rocket too?!?"   
  
*****   
  
Rose paced around the holding cell, bored. It seemed like Jeremy had been gone for hours. Sure, he was just some twerp, like any ordinary kid she had battled, but it was nice to have someone to talk to. Jeremy certainly didn't seem as arrogant as most young trainers, especially the ones from Pallet Town. Maybe, if the circumstances had been different, they could have been friends. Rose casually pulled a concealed Poke Ball from somewhere in her outfit and released a small, cream-colored cat. The cops had confiscated all of her visible Poke Balls, but she always hid her favorite Pokemon's ball, in case of emergency situations like this. She hated nothing worse than being alone.   
  
"Meow, Meowth?" the cat asked quizzically.   
  
Rose bent down and scooped the little cat into her arms. "Nice to see you too, Kitty," she said softly, scratching her Pokemon in the spot between his ears and his golden charm. The kitten began purring softly.   
  
"Huh. You still trainin' that thing?" muttered a gravelly voice from the opposite end of the cell. Rose spun around to see a young man with teal-colored hair, about her age, sitting sullenly in the corner. He glared up in her direction.   
  
Rose barely acknowledged him. Maybe there was something worse than being alone. "Arrested again, Botch? What'd they get ya for this time?"   
  
"The name is Butch," he growled dangerously, "and you're in no position to comment. I see even a goody-goody like you can wind up with a prison record."   
  
"I'm NOT a goody-goody!" she said defensively. "I just don't happen to be like you, cruel and unusual… emphasis on the unusual part."   
  
*****   
  
"…so are you gonna get me outta here, or what?" demanded Jeremy. It seemed like the world he thought he knew was falling to pieces. His dad… his brother… that girl with the Blastoise… was EVERYONE employed by some part of Team Rocket?   
  
"Well… um… I'm not exactly sure how I can do that."   
  
"Look," said the young trainer impatiently. "You're already hiding out from the underground authorities. Can your situation GET much worse?"   
  
"Do you have any idea what might happen if I'd get caught? It's too dangerous!"   
  
"Says the guy who used to work for Giovanni himself. Besides, if I don't get outta here, there's no way I can help you find those Glitches… you wanna hide out in Viridian for the rest of your life?"   
  
There was hesitation on the other end of the phone line.   
  
"Well?"   
  
"Well…" began Stone haltingly. "Well… I'll see what I can do. But what was it you said? 'No promises'."   
  
*****   
  
As Jeremy was placed back in the holding cell, the guard motioned for Rose to follow her to the telephone area. The Meowth silently leapt from her arms and crouched in the shadows, curling itself into a ball to avoid detection.   
  
As he watched Rose leave, the young boy sat miserably on the floor of the cell. He wished the guards hadn't confiscated his backpack and Pokedex. At least looking through the digital encyclopedia would've given him something to do… anything to divert attention away from his awful surroundings. The filthy cement floor was very cold. Jeremy crossed his arms for warmth, casually glancing into the gloom behind him. He jumped in surprise when he realized he was not alone.   
  
"Oh… you startled me," he remarked to the sitting figure.   
  
The figure didn't acknowledge his presence, continuing to glare at dust bunnies on the floor.   
  
"Uh… hi. My name's Jeremy," he began, trying to be somewhat friendly.   
  
"Punk kid," snarled the figure's raspy voice. "Leave me alone."   
  
*****   
  
"But… but Mom!" pleaded Rose anxiously into the telephone receiver. "They caught me! What am I supposed to do?"   
  
"I'm sorry that happened to you, I really am. But there was no time to reach you. We just received word that the cops were coming, moments after I called you, and we barely had enough time to escape ourselves."   
  
"But… but… I'M IN PRISON, MOM!"   
  
"There's nothing I can do. You'll just have to deal with it somehow."   
  
"Deal with it? You- you've gotta get me outta here!" Rose was getting frantic.   
  
"I'll certainly ask the Boss about it, but I wouldn't expect much. He wasn't in any hurry to bail out those two friends of yours, and you're the same rank as they are. He's even getting fed up with bailing out Black Rockets."   
  
"W-w-what am I supposed to do then?"   
  
"Play the slots, that's the only advice I can offer you. It's a shame, Giovanni just doesn't care about his underlings like he used to," sighed Rose's mom. "I gotta run, this phone line is probably tapped. Good luck…"   
  
"Yeah, good luck to you too," muttered Rose as the phone line went dead. Play the slots. The Rocket code for "try to escape". Not much chance of that. And apparently, Butch was in for the long haul as well… at least if it was true that Giovanni wasn't bailing members out like he used to.   
  
*****   
  
The guard marched Rose back to the cell and slammed the door, rattling the heavy ring of keys in the lock and pushing several buttons on a computer terminal set into the wall. "Double security," she grunted as Jeremy watched in nervous fascination. "Gotta be careful, what with the likes of you in here." She scowled a final time, then turned and walked briskly down the corridor, her heavy footsteps echoing through the prison.   
  
There was an uncomfortable silence as the three inmates tried not to look at one another. It was Jeremy who eventually broke the silence.   
  
"So… uh… when's dinner around here?" he said nervously, his stomach beginning to protest audibly.   
  
Butch rolled his eyes. "Of all the people to be stuck with… You're bad enough, but did ya have ta bring along a comedian?" he growled at Rose and the cat on her shoulder.   
  
"You think I wanna be stuck here?" she retorted angrily. "This is supposed to be my day off, and I get called in for backup and wind up in here! With you of all people! Nice day off…"   
  
"What, can't you handle the pressures of active duty?" sneered Butch. Rose glared at him, and her Meowth hissed, flexing its tiny claws from its perch on her shoulder. "Cause I'd be glad to tell the Boss you wanna go back to being a minion in HQ…"   
  
"If you even dare…" she began in a dangerous whisper.   
  
Jeremy's stomach growled loudly, interrupting Rose's threat. Butch turned to the young trainer, pure hatred in his eyes. "Would you SHUT UP already, you little…"   
  
"Leave him alone," Rose cut in, clenching her fists. Jeremy was shocked. Why would this Rocket girl be standing up for him? "I've had just about enough outta you. The kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's all a big mistake."   
  
"Huh. His only mistake was gettin' mixed up with a screw-up like you," shot back Butch, who didn't appreciate anyone arguing with him, especially not a lower-ranked Rocket. "Can't even handle a basic mission without screwin' it up."   
  
"Oh, like you're so perfect?" she retorted. "This is, what now, the fourth time you've been arrested? Or is it the fifth? I seem to have lost track."   
  
"You better shut it," he said in a dangerously low voice.   
  
"Or what, you'll tell the Boss on me? I'm so sick of you Black Rockets lording it over everyone else, thinking you're so special, treating the rest of us like we're inferior life-forms or something. Ooh, you'll run and tell the Boss on me. Well guess what? I don't know when you'll get the chance, cause he's not bailing you out this time."   
  
Butch gasped audibly. "You're lying…" he muttered numbly, trying to keep the panic from his voice. "You're lying…" His mouth hung open in disbelief.   
  
"Huh, I wish I was," she said, pacing the cell. "Cause if he was bailing you out, there'd be a chance I could get out too. But he ain't coming. I made my phone call, and was told ta 'play the slots'." Rose turned to face the wall, becoming more upset and frustrated with every word. "Yeah, that's the best I heard. Try to bust outta this joint cause there's no shot at a second chance. I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life here… alone…" Rose stared out the barred window, desperately trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks at any moment. The Meowth patted her shoulder sympathetically.   
  
Butch just stared at the floor, feeling a mixture of panic, rage, and complete helplessness. Rose's words had really hit him hard. What if it was true… what if the Boss didn't come?   
  
"I… I don't know what's gonna happen ta me," the male Rocket muttered. "I've never been in the slammer more than a day or two… Boss always personally bailed us out right away. Here it's been almost a week, and… nothin'. What if he's not…" Butch slumped against the wall, a look of utter defeat on his face. "I need a smoke…"   
  
Rose turned around slowly, a look of surprise on her face. Never before had she seen the tough Rocket look so despondent. "Your partner, where…?"   
  
"…she got away, and never looked back," Butch mumbled, mostly to himself. "I thought partners were supposed ta stick together, no matter what. I thought she'd at least come back for me… get me outta here… but she never came. When the cops hauled me off, she was long gone." A single tear slid down his face. Butch angrily wiped it away with his dirty, gloved hand.   
  
"I'm… I'm so sorry," said Rose softly.   
  
"Huh. Why should you care?" he growled, hating for anyone to see him like this. "You don't know what it's like… you never had a partner."   
  
Rose stared at the floor. "No, I never did. I had to go through life on my own, no help, no company, no nothing." She looked up, tears welling up in her large brown eyes. "You have no idea how awful it is, always being alone. Especially when two of your friends have the closest partnership there ever was. Sure, they weren't on the Boss's good side, and they never did get that brat's Pikachu… but they always had each other. You have any idea how often I wished… that just once… I could have a partner like that?"   
  
The Meowth on Rose's shoulder looked over at her sadly, and gently licked her face. Rose smiled a little.   
  
"At least I still have Kitty with me. He's the only friend I have…"   
  
"Now wait a minute," interrupted Jeremy, who had been silently watching the drama unfold up to this point. "Aren't we friends?"   
  
"I don't know, are we?" asked Rose, turning to the trainer. "You went Surfing on my Blastoise, I got you arrested. Sounds like a REAL promising friendship, kid." The Rocket girl sighed heavily. She wore the same hopeless expression as Butch.   
  
"Look, I'm not just some twerp. I- I want to help you."   
  
"Help?" She looked at him skeptically.   
  
"Find the Glitch Pokemon. And get outta here."   
  
"How ya gonna do that?" grumbled Butch, from the floor. "I tried, there's no way outta here. Not without tools or nothin'."   
  
Jeremy glanced down the corridors of the prison, and motioned for Rose and Butch to move closer. He dropped his voice to a confidential whisper. "I called my brother… he's gonna try to bust us outta here!"   
  
"Pfft, your brother," snorted Butch. "That's a good one."   
  
"No, I'm serious! He's a Pokemon Professor… or at least he used to be. At any rate, he said he'll do what he can."   
  
"And exactly why should he help us?" asked Rose cynically. "You, I can see. But why's he gonna bail two Rocket failures out?" Butch grunted in assent.   
  
Jeremy fidgeted for a moment. "Well, he doesn't quite know about that part yet. But Rose, he used to be friends with you, back at the Pokemon University. Professor Eric Stone…?"   
  
Rose's expression brightened a bit. "Eric? Eric Stone…? The Pokemon genetics guy? So he's your brother, huh? It's been ages since I heard from him…" She smiled. "We used to be pretty good friends, at least whenever he didn't have his nose buried in his laptop…"   
  
Suddenly Butch anxiously jumped to his feet, a look of utter terror on his face. "You- you guys ain't gonna leave me here, are ya?" he asked, panic rising in his voice. "I- I- I don't know what they'll do ta me here! …Take me with you!"   
  
"What?" asked Rose and Jeremy simultaneously.   
  
"I need ta get outta here… I'll go crazy bein' locked up…" Butch hesitated, having difficulty saying the next word. "…please?"   
  
Rose looked from Butch to Jeremy. "It's your brother. You've gotta decide."   
  
Jeremy chewed his lip nervously as he weighed the options. If he didn't agree to get this guy out, Butch might beat him up so badly that none of them could escape. Of course, he didn't fancy the idea of allowing a four-time criminal back into society… Well… he's been arrested four times already, he rationalized. So I'm sure if he does anything else they'll drag him back again… then let somebody else worry about breaking him out.   
  
"Ok, you can come along," said Jeremy reluctantly. Butch almost did a joyful leap into the air, then remembered his rank as an elite Team Rocket member and sat back down.   
  
"Thanks, kid," he grunted instead. "'ppreciate it."   
  
"Yeah… and the name's Jeremy, not 'kid'." 


	5. Chapter 4: Jailbreak!

Chapter 4: Jailbreak!  
  
Sometime around 2 AM, Jeremy awoke abruptly as a brilliant flash of purple light illuminated the far end of the hallway. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, the young Pokemon trainer bolted to his feet as he recognized his brother and a large Psychic Pokemon silently examining their surroundings.   
  
"Eric! We're over here!" Jeremy called in a stage whisper. Professor Stone and his Kadabra cautiously slunk toward the holding cell. "This is awesome! I knew you'd pull through!" cheered Jeremy as they arrived outside his cell.   
  
"Keep your voice down!" hissed Eric, nervously glancing up and down the prison corridor. "Do you have any idea what a risk it is for me to leave Viridian City?" The professor wrung his hands, the worry evident on his face. "And especially to do something so… illegal!"   
  
"Dude, it's ok!" reassured Jeremy. "Like Rose told me, it ain't illegal unless you get caught. Which ain't gonna happen if we're careful. You totally need to switch to decaf."   
  
Eric ignored the jab about his coffee addiction and glanced down the hallway once again. "I still don't feel right about flagrantly defying the law like this…"   
  
"Look, if it makes you feel any better, it's not like I actually did anything wrong. You know how Officer Jennies are, arrest first and ask questions later."   
  
"Not like it matters now. I mean, I'm here, aren't I? Hurry up and wake Rose… QUIETLY… and I'll see what I can do to get you two out of here."   
  
"Yeah, about that…" Jeremy uncomfortably shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Umm… there's three of us who need to escape."   
  
"Is that so?" asked Eric, a touch of anger seeping into his voice. "Convenient how you didn't mention that to me earlier."   
  
"Yeah, well… it was awfully convenient how you didn't bother to tell me that Glitches could mess up my Pokemon storage system!" retorted Jeremy, crabby after the ordeal of his long day.   
  
Rose awoke to see the two Stone brothers glaring at one another through the bars of the holding cell. "Hey, guys, could you keep it down?" she asked blearily. "Some of us aren't morning people, you know?"   
  
"He started it!" snapped Jeremy, pointing at his brother.   
  
"Stop acting like such a child," replied Eric irritably.   
  
Rose's eyes narrowed. "Look, I'm not playing diplomat until I've had my morning caffeine. The guards might show up and blow the whole deal if you two don't knock it off."   
  
Eric sighed. "You're right, Rose. You always were the voice of reason when things got out of hand at school." The young professor turned to his brother once again, his voice slightly calmer than before. "You might as well wake the third member of your party, Jer, although I would greatly appreciate it if you'd inform me of things like this beforehand."   
  
"Yeah, well… having this guy come along wasn't exactly my idea." The Pokemon trainer turned to the snoring lump on the floor and nudged it with his shoe. "Hey, wake up, and keep it quiet."   
  
"Don't give me orders, you little punk," growled Butch.   
  
"I'm the only reason you're getting outta here, Botch, and unless you follow instructions, you can stay here." Jeremy hated to admit how much he enjoyed this small taste of power.   
  
Silently, Butch stood, his arms crossed defiantly across his chest. Years of service in Team Rocket had taught him that sometimes he had to swallow his pride to get what he wanted. There was no sense in wasting the kid's usefulness now. He'd get back at that little brat later.   
  
"All right. If everyone's ready now… grab my hand, Jeremy," instructed Eric, tentatively reaching through the cell bars. "Form a circle and we'll use Kadabra's psychic abilities to remove ourselves from here."   
  
"Ewww gross," muttered Butch. "Hold hands? Forget it."   
  
"Then you can forget about escaping," Eric answered matter-of-factly. "Kadabra's Teleport works only for people it has physical contact with." Jeremy tried to keep the smug smirk off his face.   
  
Butch's facial expression suggested that he had just kissed a Jynx, but he reluctantly took hold of Rose's left hand as the Kadabra's paw found his other hand.   
  
"All right, Kadabra, prepare for Teleportation." The Psychic Pokemon began to glow purple once again.   
  
"Wait, stop! What about our Pokemon? And my Pokedex?" Jeremy panicked. "We can't leave all our stuff here! I was ready to take on the Elite Four!"   
  
Eric sighed with frustration and broke the circle as Kadabra stopped glowing. "Why didn't you think of that before I arrived? Do you have any idea how dangerous this whole operation is? The longer we wait here, the riskier this becomes for all of us!"   
  
"How could I get my stuff if I couldn't get outta here?"   
  
"Shhh. Leave that part to me… or should I say, to the best little kitty in the whole world!" Rose cooed, holding her Pokeball against the cell bars and releasing her baby Meowth into the hallway. Butch rolled his eyes as the adorable creature sat washing his paws. Rose crouched down and began speaking quietly to her Pokemon. "Kitty, we need you to find where those bad nasty cops took my stuff, then come right back. Remember what my backpack looks like?"   
  
The Meowth mewed softly in agreement and took off silently down the corridor.   
  
"YOUR stuff? What about the rest of us?" demanded Butch.   
  
"My Meowth is primarily tracking by scent, and he's only familiar with mine. I'm sure the police put Jeremy's belongings right next to mine. And if you're lucky," she turned to Butch, "your stuff is there too. If not…" She shrugged. "Then Eric can follow Kitty back and collect our stuff. Everyone ok with this?"   
  
"Yes Ma'am," answered Eric.   
  
"Eww, don't call me that, it makes me feel old!" Rose cringed at the thought.   
  
*****   
  
Moments later, the kitten returned to the cell and meowed at Rose happily.   
  
"Did you find my stuff?" she asked hopefully.   
  
"Meow!"   
  
"What a good little kitty you are!" she whispered, scritching the cat between its ears. "Now can you go right back, and take this nice professor with you?" Rose continued. "Once I get my backpack, I'll give you a nice little kitty treat!"   
  
The little Meowth took off once again, followed closely by Eric Stone. Butch snorted, a disgusted look on his face. "You make me sick, you know that?" he snapped at Rose. "No self-respectin' Rocket would treat a Pokemon like that."   
  
"I suppose you think it's a better idea to abuse the creatures who are gonna help you out of a tight spot," Rose retorted.   
  
"They ain't pets, they're tools. You remember the Team Rocket oath: all Pokemon exist for the glory of Team Rocket. Yer too soft to be a real Rocket, no wonder you ain't got a partner yet." Butch added in a superior tone.   
  
"Well, I'm not surprised your partner left you behind, if that's the attitude you've got toward your companions." Rose shot back.   
  
Jeremy nervously looked down the hallway for his brother as he listened to his cellmates arguing. This Rose might be a Rocket, but at least she still had a trainer's values at heart. Butch, on the other hand, seemed to be a completely rotten individual. And these two are supposed to be co-workers, he mused.   
  
After a few endless seconds, Eric returned with two backpacks in his arms. Rose and Jeremy beamed.   
  
"Yes! My Pokedex and my Pokemon!" cheered Jeremy as Rose dug through her belongings and fed her Meowth the promised treat.   
  
"Yay! I finally got my clothes back!" cried Rose happily, throwing a forest green hooded sweatshirt over her incriminating "R" shirt. "As much as I love my Team Rocket uniform, it's not exactly a good way to look all sweet and innocent." She looked over at Butch disapprovingly. "You'll have to change, too."   
  
"No way," grunted the tough Rocket. "Besides, all my other clothes are at HQ."   
  
"You really think it's a good idea to go traipsing around wearing that? You might as well put a neon sign over your head saying 'Come arrest me'."   
  
"She's got a point," remarked Jeremy.   
  
"Who asked you?" Butch shot back.   
  
"We're not taking you along if you're going to be a liability," Eric said bluntly. "I don't care what Jeremy told you, I have the final say in whether you go or not."   
  
Reluctantly, Butch removed his black uniform shirt and stuffed it under his arm.   
  
"I guess that's not too bad," Rose commented, critically staring at Butch, now wearing a gray t-shirt with the rest of his Rocket outfit. Butch glared at her. "We can always pick up new clothes after we escape."   
  
Suddenly, the sound of a dog barking filled the halls of the police station.   
  
"You hear something, Growlithe?" An alert female voice echoed through the hallway.   
  
"The cops!" cried Rose, wide-eyed. "We gotta get outta here!"   
  
"Was it down here, Growlithe?" asked the officer's voice. She was getting closer by the minute.   
  
"It was yer stupid cat that gave us away!" growled Butch.   
  
"No, it was your stupid mouth!" Rose snapped.   
  
"Forget whose fault it is!" shouted Eric over the din. "Grab hold of Kadabra and let's go already!"   
  
The group linked hands and Kitty leapt onto Rose's shoulder as Kadabra began to glow purple once again. Just then, Officer Jenny and her Growlithe dashed down the hallway towards the holding cell.   
  
"Take Down, Growlithe! Don't let them get away!" she commanded.   
  
"Kadabra!" intoned the Psychic Pokemon as it began Teleportation. Growlithe charged directly through the spot where they had been standing a second before. The Fire Pokemon looked around, confused, and began sniffing the ground.   
  
"Don't worry, Growlithe," said Jenny, her voice filled with determination. "We'll get 'em. We always do."   
  
*****   
  
Moments later, the escapees arrived outside the entrance to the Viridian City Pokemon Center. Eric mopped his brow and sighed with relief. "Ok, Jer, that makes us even now. You can't say I'm not keeping up my end of the deal."   
  
"I just wanted to say… thanks, Eric," said Rose softly. "I appreciate what you did for us back there." Glaring at Butch, Rose sharply elbowed him in the ribs. "Aren't you going to thank Eric for saving your worthless butt?"   
  
Butch just shrugged. "Whatever."   
  
Rose rolled her eyes and turned to Jeremy. "Hey, Jeremy, you wanna re-trade Pokemon? It's not like I don't trust you, but I want my Squirty back."   
  
"Yeah, sure," the young trainer replied, pulling Blastoise's Poke Ball from his backpack and handing it to Rose. "Thanks again for letting me Surf for awhile."   
  
"Don't mention it." She handed the two red-and-white spheres back to him.   
  
"You do realize that we're wasting time standing around here," interrupted Eric Stone nervously. "The police will be searching this area extensively once news of our escape gets out. I want to be as far away from Pallet Town as possible before daylight."   
  
"Give me a minute, guys," said Rose, "I've gotta get out of these clothes before we go anywhere. You have no idea what a pain it is to be wearing a skirt for this long. I don't know how Jessie does it." The Rocket girl ducked behind some bushes and tossed a Poke Ball into the air. "Sprouty, if anyone tries to mess with me, zap 'em with Stun Spore, ok?" she addressed the large Victreebel that materialized in a flash of red light.   
  
"So we oughtta get going right away, huh?" asked Jeremy. "But where are we headed?"   
  
"Cinnabar Island, of course," answered Eric. "That's where those Glitches are hiding out. I didn't plan on traveling with you, but I can no longer hide out in Viridian. The police might come looking for me after that little jailbreak."   
  
Rose appeared from behind the bushes, wearing her typical trainer outfit: an aqua top, a pair of cutoff shorts, and running shoes. The sweatshirt was knotted around her waist. The average person would never suspect she was a Team Rocket member. "And we've got to get my Articuno back from that Pokemon Center on Cinnabar." Aiming her Poke Ball, her Victreebel vanished once again.   
  
"The cops shot it with a tranquilizer dart when they captured her," explained Jeremy. "Then they took it to the Pokemon Center and they hauled us off to jail."   
  
"How we supposed ta get to Cinnabar, then?" muttered Butch. "We ain't got a car or nothing."   
  
"Windslicer can't Fly us all there… Rose, do you have a Flying Pokemon?" asked Jeremy.   
  
She shook her head. "Just Sapphire. I could call my mom and ask her to bring a helicopter… but that would probably attract a lot of negative attention, especially from the cops. She is a Rocket elite, you know," she added proudly.   
  
"I guess we're walking, then," sighed Eric. "And we'd better get going now." He pointed toward the eastern horizon, where a faint glow was beginning to appear. "Sun'll be up soon and we should at least be on our way by dawn."   
  
Butch grumbled. "So much fer gettin' a full night of sleep…" 


	6. Chapter 5: Prepare for Trouble!

Chapter 5: Prepare for Trouble!  
  
Jeremy's group reached the Pallet Town Expressway Bridge just as the sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the area in a bright golden light.   
  
"Can we take a break already?" asked Butch, breathing heavily.   
  
"For the last time, no," said Eric firmly. "It's too dangerous for us to stop here."   
  
"We're gonna collapse if we keep runnin' like this on empty stomachs."   
  
"Oh, fine then," Eric relented, scowling. Butch collapsed to the ground.   
  
"Is someone outta shape from always being toted around by the Boss?" Rose commented, giving Butch a condescending smile. "Forgot what's it like to do actual field work?"   
  
"Oh shut up," muttered Butch.   
  
"Is there anything to eat?" asked Jeremy as his stomach growled loudly. "I've hardly eaten anything since yesterday."   
  
"Well, it's not much, but…" Rose pulled several granola bars from her backpack and distributed them. "It's all I've got that's not Pokemon food."   
  
As Jeremy devoured his granola bar, he scanned his surroundings. The morning was slightly chilly, and very quiet. Just then, he heard the sound of distant voices and the occasional unmistakable beep of a Pokedex. Some trainer's up early, he thought. Wish I wasn't.   
  
There were two young teenagers walking along the water's edge, engaged in animated conversation. The boy had black hair, and was wearing a dark red sweatshirt and yellow shorts. The girl, slightly shorter than her companion, had bright turquoise hair pulled back into ponytails. She was wearing the same colors of clothing as the boy. As they approached Jeremy's party, the teenagers stopped talking and turned to face them, friendly smiles on their faces.   
  
"Hi, I'm Kevin Gold," said the boy, extending his right hand to Jeremy. "You guys are Pokemon trainers, aren't you?" he asked, noticing Rose's Meowth and Eric's Kadabra. "Got any Kanto Gym Badges yet?"   
  
"I'm Jeremy Stone from Viridan City," he replied, shaking Kevin's hand. "I was getting ready for the Indigo League but I got sidetracked…"   
  
Kevin laughed. "Been there. Kris and I are from New Bark Town in Johto, have you ever been there?"   
  
"Johto? Nah, not yet. I wanted to battle the Elite Four before I started in Johto…" Jeremy pulled a small box from his backpack and proudly showed the other trainer his eight shiny badges.   
  
"Cool! Hey, what's your line-up like?" asked Kevin, sitting on the ground and pulling out a Pokedex. Jeremy followed suit. "See, here's what I used when…"   
  
The girl turned to Rose, shaking her head. "He'll go on like that all day if he gets the chance."   
  
Rose glanced back, watching the two boys excitedly compare their Pokedexes. She smiled. "So I've noticed. That kid's really into Pokemon."   
  
"My name's Kris," said the girl in a bubbly voice. "I'm a Pokemon trainer too, but I'm not half as obsessive over it as Kev is… I don't think anyone is! Your Meowth is sooo cute! I only train extra-cute Pokemon: Chikorita, Wooper, Vulpix, Jigglypuff, Pichu… you know, the real cuties! But they're tougher than they look."   
  
"I'm R…Rachel," Rose began. "I'm a trainer too, but I'm not totally absorbed in Pokemon like Jeremy is. Training's just a hobby for me. This is my friend Eric, and, uh, Bob."   
  
"Nice to meet you, Rachel, Eric, Bob," said Kris cheerfully. "I started Pokemon training about a year ago, a couple months after Kevin. But that doesn't mean I can't hold my own in battles! Hey, you wanna get a battle going?" Her eyes shone hopefully.   
  
"Oh, uh, it's been ages since I battled anyone," Rose said quickly. "I don't even have my full line-up with me…"   
  
Kris's face fell. "Oh, I understand… it's just… there's not many girls who seriously battle anymore…"   
  
"Tell ya what," the Rocket member began in a bargaining tone. "Why don't you go challenge Jeremy? Then maybe, if there's time, we can get a small battle going, like a two on two or something."   
  
"Oh great!" the young girl said, the happy smile returning to her face. "Hey, Jeremy!" she called, walking over to the boys.   
  
"What was that all about, Rose?" whispered Eric, arching an eyebrow. "Or should I say, 'Rachel'?"   
  
"I'm an escaped Rocket, remember? You really think it's a good idea for me to give away my identity to some unknown kid when we're running from the law? For all we know, they've already got our names and photos on wanted posters. Besides, we don't have time to waste on long, drawn-out battles. I need to get Sapphire back from that Pokemon Center."   
  
"And I need to find those Glitches immediately. But you know how Jeremy is about Pokemon… we can't possibly leave without someone having a battle."   
  
Rose nodded, continuing in a low voice. "Agreed. But this has gotta be quick. I don't want these kids becoming our best friends and tagging along with us. It's bad enough we can't seem to lose Butch."   
  
"I heard that," Butch said sullenly. He snorted. "'Bob', that's rich. Ya know, we'd been better off if we just…"   
  
Rose turned around, annoyed. Butch's constant complaining was wearing her patience very thin. "Look, you wanna go back to jail?" she hissed. "I'm used to playing the 'I'm a typical Pokemon trainer' routine. You're the one who always runs into trouble with kids like these. Let me handle this, ok?"   
  
Butch muttered something under his breath, but said nothing else aloud.   
  
Just as Jeremy was about to throw his first Pokeball for a two-on-two battle with Kevin and Kris, a dense cloud of mist appeared, as if from nowhere. The mist was accompanied by ominous-sounding music and several spotlight effects.   
  
"Prepare for trouble!" shouted a female voice.   
  
"Make it double!" answered a male voice.   
  
"Meowth Meowth Meowth-owth!" cried Rose's kitten, leaping from her arms into the thick white smoke.   
  
"What the-" began the male voice. "What's this thing?"   
  
"How dare something interrupt our motto!" said the female voice angrily.   
  
"Would youse guys cool it?" said a third voice, speaking with a thick Brooklyn accent. "It's jus' Meowth Junior!"   
  
The two familiar Rocket members materialized through the clearing smoke. At their feet was a larger Meowth, standing on his hind legs, hugging Rose's kitten.   
  
Jessie crossed her arms. "That's all well and good," she said, somewhat annoyed, "but it still ruined our dramatic entrance."   
  
"Oh, Jess," said James, putting an arm around his female teammate and smiling. "Don't be so upset… Junior's the closest thing to family we have."   
  
"All right, Junior," said Meowth encouragingly, raising both paws to his face. "Say it like dis: 'Meowth, dat's right!'"   
  
"Meowth, Meowth Meow!" said the tiny kitten cheerfully, imitating his father's pose.   
  
Meowth sighed, patting his little son's head. "Aw well, keep woikin' on it."   
  
Butch rolled his eyes for the tenth time that day. "Someone actually bred that talkin' freak cat?"   
  
"Well, if it isn't Botch," sneered James, as the teal-haired Rocket flinched. "Didn't Cassidy say you were arrested again?"   
  
Butch growled at the mention of his partner's name. "Shows what she knows."   
  
"Isn't his name 'Bob'?" whispered Kris to Kevin, who simply shrugged. He had missed the group introductions while excitedly discussing Pokemon with Jeremy.   
  
"It looks like someone else might get kicked out of Team Rocket, from what I've heard," added Jessie, a smug smile on her face.   
  
"TEAM ROCKET?!?" cried Kevin and Kris in unison.   
  
"Youse gotta problem with dat?" Meowth asked, noticing the Johto trainers for the first time.   
  
"Just great. Another set of twerps getting in our way," muttered Jessie.   
  
"We can't even catch a break on our day off," whined James.   
  
"You no-good, dirty, rotten bad guys!" yelled Kris angrily. "I hate Team Rocket!"   
  
"Losers like you shouldn't even be allowed Pokemon!" added Kevin. "You're a disgrace to Pokemon training!"   
  
Rose and Butch flinched. Even though both were used to derisive comments about their employers, something about these kids insulting them was just too much.   
  
"How dare you insult Team Rocket!" yelled Rose, much to the surprise of the two Johto trainers.   
  
"You little brats don't know who yer messin with!" added Butch.   
  
"Prepare for trouble!" screamed Rose at the top of her lungs.   
  
"Make it double!" rasped Butch.   
  
Jessie and James exchanged a sly smile as the foursome launched into a variant of the familiar motto.   
  
"To protect the world from devastation!" began Jessie.   
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!" continued James.   
  
"To show all Pokemon the Rocket Team's love!" Rose chimed in.   
  
"And extend our wrath to the stars above!" grunted Butch.   
  
"Jessie!"   
  
"James!"   
  
"Rose!"   
  
"Buuuutch!"   
  
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" cheered the Rocket girls.   
  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" finished James. Butch simultaneously yelled, "Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!"   
  
The two Meowths added their comments to the ending as the four Rocket members struck a dramatic pose, accompanied by more spotlight effects. Eric just shook his head wearily. And things had been going so well with their escape…   
  
Jessie smiled at Rose. "Your own twist on the motto, huh? If you're putting that kind of effort into your Rocket career, I don't see why the Boss shouldn't assign you a partner soon."   
  
"You really think so? I'd love to finally get a partner and start carrying out my own missions!"   
  
"Sure. I'll even put in a good word for you with the Boss."   
  
"She can't even put in a good word for US," muttered Meowth.   
  
Jeremy turned to Kevin, who had a worried look on his face. "Dude, it's ok. No need to panic. Team Rocket really isn't that bad…" he began but Kevin angrily cut him off, shoving him backward.   
  
"Get away from me, you Rocket member! I can't believe we almost battled you!" he shouted, clenching his fists.   
  
"But I'm not…" began Jeremy, not sure why his new friend was so upset.   
  
Behind him, Kris snapped a small cell phone shut and held it triumphantly over her head. "You bad Rockets are in for it now! I just called my mom, and she's an Officer Jenny, and she's on her way here right now to lock you Pokemon thieves up for good!"   
  
"I don't think so, kid," announced a young male voice from behind the group. Everyone turned to see a brown-haired boy wearing a Team Rocket uniform, followed by a Ditto.   
  
"Mondo!" called Jessie, James, and Meowth, waving to their friend.   
  
A quick smile for his beloved superiors, and Mondo's face hardened once again. "You are going to call your mother back right now and tell her that the problem has been taken care of."   
  
"Why should we listen to you, Rocket scum?" spat Kevin.   
  
"Because if you don't, I'll make a phone call of my own to some extremely nasty Rocket grunts who are much closer than any police force. And they'll do a lot worse than recite poetry at you." The usually-cheerful boy's eyes narrowed. "How would you like all of your Pokemon to become Team Rocket property?"   
  
Kevin and Kris nervously looked at one another. "All… of our Pokemon?" began Kris weakly.   
  
"Quick, call your mom back," stammered Kevin. "Even if he's lying, we can't risk this."   
  
"Right." The blue-haired girl flipped her phone back open and relayed the message.   
  
"And now, I'd suggest that you two run along. We've got some important business to deal with now, and you are in our way. No hard feelings, right?"   
  
Realizing they were completely outnumbered, Kevin and Kris gathered their trainer gear and turned to walk away. "You haven't seen the last of us, you Rocket scum!" Kevin called angrily over his shoulder. "We'll meet again!"   
  
"Wait, Kevin!" called Jeremy helplessly. "It's not like you think…" Kevin made an obscene gesture and the pair stalked off. "Great, now I've got enemies…" sighed Jeremy, his shoulders slumping.   
  
"It's ok, Jeremy," said Rose, placing a comforting arm around him. "Enemies like that are usually just a minor annoyance. It's not like you did anything to warrant revenge…"   
  
Meanwhile, Mondo was completing his mission for Jessie and James. "Wow, it was so hard to act all tough and mean like that! I almost cracked a couple times! I don't know how you guys do it! Jessie, you're as beautiful as ever…"   
  
"Thank you, dear Mondo. And perfect timing, as usual."   
  
"And James, Meowth, you guys look cool as ever. Anyway, I've brought you the supplies you requested from HQ." The Rocket boy reached into his satchel and pulled out three boxed lunches. He distributed these to his heroes, who immediately began wolfing them down. He then pulled out an entire hot air balloon, which began to inflate on its own.   
  
"Hey, that's really cool! My name's Jeremy," he said, extending his right hand.   
  
"Mondo, Class B Team Rocket Assistant," the boy replied, shaking his hand vigorously. "Nice to meet you! What rank are you? Have you been a Rocket long?"   
  
"Oh, I'm not a Team Rocket member," Jeremy said sheepishly. "I'm just an ordinary trainer… I'm Rose's friend. I was headed for the Indigo League, but… somehow I got mixed up in all this."   
  
Mondo laughed good-naturedly. "You know, I intended to be a legit trainer myself, but once I started learning about TR, I knew that was where I belonged. Some of the nicest people in the world work for Giovanni… ah, here we are!"   
  
The Meowth-shaped balloon had completely inflated by this point, and Jessie, James, and Meowth were eagerly climbing inside the basket.   
  
"Thanks again, Mondo!" called James as the balloon began lifting into the air.   
  
"Be careful, guys!" the young boy shouted. "Try to stay away from those electric rodents!"   
  
"Bye Mondo!" called Jessie. "And nice to see you again, Rose!"   
  
"See ya!" Rose called as the balloon drifted away. "So, Mondo, any chance you have a few more of those boxed lunches in that magic bag of yours?" She smiled sweetly at the brown-haired boy. Behind her, Butch opened his mouth to make a rude comment, but Jeremy elbowed him hard, hungry for one of those tasty-looking meals.   
  
Mondo blushed slightly. "Well, I probably shouldn't give anything out without the proper request forms, but… well, I just can't say no to a pretty girl!"   
  
"You're such a sweetie, Mondo," Rose said, winking. "We'll need four." 


	7. Chapter 6: From Unown Origins

Chapter 6: From Unown Origins  
  
"So where are we gonna hide out?" Jeremy asked as they finally reached the warm sands of Cinnabar Island. The sky was tinged a bright orange, streaked with bright pink clouds, as the sun slowly sank toward the horizon. Orange light sparkled in the waters of the western ocean. The group was tired, having walked all day to reach their destination.   
  
"We need to be somewhere close to the Cinnabar Pokemon Center, that's for sure," added Rose. "If the cops are pursuing us, they might use Sapphire as bait to trap us. I don't even wanna think what might happen if they captured us again…" She shuddered at the thought.   
  
Eric Stone smiled. "Leave that part to me. After those Glitches escaped, the original Cinnabar Lab where I worked was shut down and deserted. Never thought I'd be coming back here, but…" The professor jingled a ring of keys. "Unless they've changed the locks, we'll be perfectly safe and undisturbed here, at least for tonight. And if I recall correctly, the research team left some coffee and snacks here too."   
  
"Huh, guess you've got some use after all," grunted Butch. Eric smiled wryly. It seemed a back-handed compliment was the nicest Butch was capable of.   
  
As Eric fiddled with the lock on the abandoned laboratory, Jeremy looked up and watched a few birds flying overhead. Suddenly, a single bird, a scraggly-looking Pidgeotto, detached itself from the others and swooped down towards him. Jeremy reached for a Poke Ball at his belt, ready to defend himself, when he noticed the blue cap of a mail-delivery Pokemon. The bird clutched a small parcel in its talons.   
  
The Pidgeotto landed softly on the beach and presented Rose with the parcel.   
  
"Are you sure this is for me?" she asked quizzically.   
  
The Bird Pokemon nodded its feathery head.   
  
Butch snorted. "Like anyone would send you somethin'."   
  
Jeremy pointed to the address as he handed Rose the parcel. "It says, 'For Rose of Team Rocket', I guess that has to be you."   
  
Meanwhile, Eric had finally gotten his key to work in the rusty lock, and he hurried the group inside. "We've got to get out of sight immediately. Once word of your escape gets out, they'll be searching all over Kanto for us," he advised, nervously glancing over his shoulder. "Stay close, everyone, and watch your step. The lab might be a bit of a mess."   
  
The laboratory was eerily quiet, and an unpleasant chemical odor wafted from an unknown source. The main room was lit only by one dull fluorescent emergency light, which bathed the room in a dim bluish glow.   
  
Abandoned laboratory equipment lurked in shadowy corners of the room, hulking structures with unknown purposes. Yellowed research notes littered the laboratory floor, covered with sinister chemical stains. Large glass cylinders stood along the eastern wall of the laboratory, next to a smashed window. Two of these cylinders were shattered, and a smelly yellowish sludge coated the ground.   
  
Rose cradled her small Meowth in her arms, looking around nervously. "This place gives me the creeps," she admitted shakily.   
  
"Me too," added Jeremy. Broken glass crunched under his sneakers. "It's like… you can tell something bad happened here. I can just feel it."   
  
"What's in there?" asked Butch, examining one of the intact glass cylinders. "Looks like there's somethin' moving inside…"   
  
"Nothing to see inside that thing," said Stone hurriedly. "Just some congealed fluids that probably smell rather nasty." Butch made a face and stepped away from the cylinder, as Eric inwardly sighed with relief.   
  
"The break room is just up ahead," continued the professor, hurrying the group forward. "I figure we can rest there until the Pokemon Center closes and we plan our next illegal move." He added this with just a touch of sarcasm in his voice.   
  
*****   
  
"I wonder what this is supposed to be," mused Rose, sitting on one of the break room's folding chairs and opening the mysterious mail parcel. "I'm not expecting any mail…"   
  
"What are you doing? Don't open that!" yelled Eric Stone. He glanced away from the cabinets he was rummaging through. "It could be dangerous!"   
  
"Dangerous? Pffft," said Rose flippantly. "Like what, a mail bomb?"   
  
"You are a Team Rocket member," remarked Jeremy, grabbing another chair and sitting on it backwards. "You've probably made lots of enemies, right?"   
  
"Nah, only high-ranking Rockets make enemies," commented Butch derisively as he sprawled out on the floor. "Nobodies like her ain't worth the effort."   
  
Rose shrugged. "You're probably right, Botch," she said, not even facing in the male Rocket's direction as he growled at the nickname. "I never gave anyone an especially hard time. So it's not like anyone's out for my neck."   
  
She finally ripped the package open to reveal a small wooden box, covered with strange markings.   
  
"What's that, some kinda jewelry box?" asked Jeremy, leaning forward for a closer look.   
  
"Anythin' good inside that?" asked Butch, sitting up and feigning interest. He was, of course, planning to swipe its contents if valuable.   
  
Rose cautiously opened the lid and peered inside. An odd look came over her face. "Somebody sent me… a box of weird Scrabble tiles?"   
  
"That's ridiculous, it can't possibly be…" began Eric, walking over and looking inside the box. "…but it is. Scrabble tiles." He shook his head in confusion and resumed his search for instant coffee and snacks.   
  
"You idiots don't know what yer talkin' about," snorted Butch. "It's obvious this is…" and stopped. "Huh, whaddya know."   
  
Rose just stared at the box in bemusement. "Is that it?" she asked, spilling the contents onto the floor. There was nothing but a pile of odd-looking letter tiles.   
  
Jeremy picked up the box, noticing a small piece of paper taped to the inside of the lid. "Hey, Rose, maybe this'll tell you something," he said, removing the paper.   
  
The girl reached for the paper and began reading it aloud. "'Dear Rose, I came across this in my travels and instantly thought of you. I remember how much you like mysterious things and wanted you to have this. Not quite sure what it is, though. Love always, Dad.' Oh my gosh… Dad…" Her voice trailed off as she stood staring at the note.   
  
"Hey, Rose, you ok?" asked Jeremy.   
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said softly. "I just haven't heard from him in so long… it's nice to know he's still out there somewhere…"   
  
Jeremy had the strong suspicion that there was something Rose wasn't telling him about her father, but he didn't have the heart to pry further into her private affairs.   
  
"Oh well," she said with a shrug. "I guess these things are supposed to be something mysterious, even though they just look like Scrabble tiles to me."   
  
"What are we supposed to do with these?" mused Stone, turning one over in his hand.   
  
"Well ya know," began Jeremy, smiling sheepishly, "we do have to wait till midnight for that Pokemon Center to close before we get your Articuno back. Why don't we start a game?"   
  
"Oh please," grumbled Butch. "Why don't we just bash our heads against a brick wall instead? I'm sure that'd be more exciting than playing board games all night."   
  
"Oh lighten up," snapped the usually calm Eric. Butch's constant bad attitude was wearing his patience thin. "You know, you'd be a lot more tolerable if you'd learn to have a little fun with life."   
  
"Oh yeah? Well you'd be a lot more tolerable if…"   
  
"Cool it!" yelled Rose. "Look, Butch, nobody's making you play if you don't want to. If you've got your heart set on being miserable, fine. But we're gonna make the best of this long wait ahead of us, so go sulk elsewhere."   
  
"Anyone got something to use for a board?" asked Jeremy as Butch stalked out of the room. The male Rocket just couldn't understand how these idiots could be amused by something as dumb as a board game.   
  
After a few moments, he returned, having found nothing better to do. Still, he didn't want to give those three losers the satisfaction of seeing they were right, so he stood outside the slightly open door and watched.   
  
They had constructed a crude board from an old piece of cardboard and were attempting to play, despite the unusual looking pieces. They had also found some instant coffee, a bag of corn curls, and a box of pretzels. Butch felt the smallest twinge of jealousy as he watched the three friends eating and laughing together. Like I'd want to hang out with that bunch of rejects, he thought, trying to push feelings of loneliness out of his mind.   
  
Suddenly, Jeremy began laughing at something his brother had said and accidentally knocked over one of the coffee cups. Rose gasped and quickly righted the cup, but it had already drenched the entire board and most of the letter tiles. Butch snickered to himself. Serves those losers right, he thought snidely. But suddenly he froze when he noticed an odd bluish glow emanating from the damp tiles.   
  
Within moments, a bluish-purple light had filled the entire room and strange letter-shaped Pokemon circled the board, humming in bizarre harmonies.   
  
"Unowns?" asked Jeremy and Eric.   
  
"I captured a full set of Unowns," began Rose, wide-eyed, "but I never actually tried to train them… do they usually appear from nowhere and start doing this?"   
  
Eric's face had gone white. "Th-this is highly… unusual, but… not- not unheard of…"   
  
Suddenly, the Unowns' orbits became more agitated, and they began to spin wildly around the room, as if searching for something.   
  
"What's going on?" asked Jeremy worriedly.   
  
"Everyone, remain calm… everything is going to be ok… at least, I hope so," Eric said shakily. "I read about something like this once, but…"   
  
All at once, the Unowns, now glowing a bright purple, began circling Rose. Their humming increased by a few decibels.   
  
"I'm scared!" cried Rose. "I'm so sorry I opened that box! Somebody help me!"   
  
There was a brilliant flash of light, and a loud rumbling noise as the walls suddenly became covered by an odd crystal growth.   
  
"ROSE!" shouted Jeremy and Eric. Butch, cowering in the hallway, began calling for his mommy.   
  
Then the light dimmed, and the Unowns vanished as quickly as they appeared. When Jeremy and Eric could see again, they were relieved to see that Rose appeared to be perfectly fine. What stood next to her, however, caused them to jump with surprise.   
  
It was a large quadruped Pokemon, standing well over six feet in height, covered in shaggy brown fur with imposing silver slats on its back. Between its shoulders flowed a plume of brilliant blue energy.   
  
Rose turned to face the legendary creature, a look of complete awe on her face. "Are you… Entei?" she asked incredulously.   
  
"Kinda… but not quite," Entei answered, the majesty of his deep, resonating voice undermined by the uncertainty of his words.   
  
"Huh?" asked Jeremy, once he found his voice. "How can you 'kinda' be Entei? Either you are, or you aren't. Er, no offense of course…" he quickly added, realizing the creature was at least three times larger than his brother.   
  
"Ok, let me try to explain," began the huge furry creature. "Did you ever hear the story of Professor Hale?"   
  
"I've done some research on Hale's story," answered Eric slowly, "but I don't think anyone else here knows about him. The information I managed to gather was very hard to find."   
  
"All right, then. I'll tell you what I know. Hale was a researcher who disturbed a whole bunch of Unowns, and got dragged into this strange parallel universe. The strangest part was, although his body was trapped in the world of the Unowns, his soul joined with this legendary Pokemon, Entei. His memories and thoughts were fused with Entei, and he was able to take care of his little daughter while he was physically in another world."   
  
"Ok," said Jeremy slowly, "then what happened?"   
  
"The little girl tapped into the Unowns' power and was able to create everything she thought she wanted. But when she realized that sometimes it's better not to get everything you want, and chose to have things real again, the Unowns' power had grown to unstable levels. It took the strength of Entei to restore the world to its original state."   
  
"But… but you're not Professor Hale, are you?" began Rose hesitatingly. "Are you the real Entei?"   
  
"No, I'm not Hale. But I'm not really Entei either. It's a bit confusing…"   
  
Jeremy and the others just stared in awe at the large furry creature as they listened.   
  
"I am, or rather, I was a Pokemon PC technician. Whenever a Pokemon Center's PC needed an attitude adjustment, they'd call me to fix whatever the problem was. Usually I only did minor repairs, like running an anti-virus program or replacing a fried processor. But I knew how to do more complicated procedures too."   
  
Eric Stone nodded. "I'm a bit of a computer geek myself. I'd always wind up fixing the Cinnabar Lab's machine if it did something strange."   
  
"So one day an old high school buddy of mine called," continued Entei. "His kid's Pokedex had been acting weird lately and he wanted me to check it out. Apparently whenever the kid was walking around, her Pokedex would show incorrect maps. It also emitted high-frequency noises that caused her to get bad headaches. I was poking around a bit in the database before I tried fixing the damn thing, and it turns out the kid was an aspiring mystery hunter... messed around with some nasty Glitch Pokemon."   
  
"MissingNo!" gasped Rose and Eric. Entei nodded.   
  
"Yup, that little sucker was in there. Along with a couple of pixel-looking things. I tried messing with the Pokedex, but it wasn't doing any good. I'd heard that Glitch Pokemon can fry technology, but I'd never seen it first-hand before. I was about to call my buddy back and tell him that I'd need to reformat the whole thing, when... something odd happened."   
  
"What? What happened?" asked Jeremy excitedly.   
  
"I'm not sure. I was double-checking the data records, and I reached the section on Unowns, when the screen began flashing and the Pokedex started making horrible high-pitched noises. The last thing I remember was seeing a whole mess of Unowns spinning around my head, then I passed out. When I woke up, I was like this." The large creature looked down at his shaggy body. "I really don't know what to think. At least I'm a legendary Pokemon, I suppose I could have been a Magikarp or something. I mean, Entei's my boy and all, but I never really wanted to BE one."   
  
"Fascinating," remarked Eric. "Professor Hale's story was written up in several scientific journals, and I've done a bit of personal research on the events that led to his disappearance. According to my findings, Hale was transported to another dimension after trying to research the Unowns. This kid whose Pokedex you tinkered with was also researching the Unowns. Maybe Unowns simply don't want to be understood. Possibly, as their name implies, they want to remain mysterious and "unknown" forever. That combined with the data corruption from the Glitch Pokemon might explain your situation."   
  
"No sh*t?" said Entei, then quickly added, "Oh, pardon my French."   
  
"You mean the Unowns try to get researchers out of the way if they get too close to discovering the truth?" asked Jeremy incredulously.   
  
Eric Stone shrugged. "I have no idea. It's just a theory, but it seems to hold water."   
  
Entei yawned, displaying the shiny teeth in his cavernous mouth. "Mind if I snag some of that caffeine? I'm really tired."   
  
"Uh… help yourself," Jeremy answered nervously, holding out the canister of instant coffee crystals.   
  
Entei scooped a pawful of dry coffee crystals from the canister and poured them down his throat as Jeremy watched, horrified. "Thanks, kid, I needed that."   
  
Eric glanced at his wristwatch and gasped. "It's already 1 AM?" he asked incredulously. "I had no idea we were here that long! I guess our game took longer than I anticipated…"   
  
"You guys ready?" asked Rose. "I don't know how long it'll take to get Sapphire back. They could have it stored in a computer, or locked in a room somewhere…"   
  
"What's going on?" asked Entei.   
  
"The cops took Rose's Articuno to the Pokemon Center when they arrested us, and we're gonna go get it back tonight," replied Jeremy.   
  
"They arrested you? For what?"   
  
"Well, Rose is a Team Rocket member, and we had traded Pokemon so the cops thought I was her accomplice. So they arrested us, then my brother busted us outta jail, and now we're hunting down some escaped Glitch Pokemon… I guess it's kinda complicated."   
  
"Fascinating. Mind if I tag along?" asked the legendary Pokemon.   
  
"Why not?" laughed Jeremy. "We've already got a sidetracked Pokemon trainer, a disgraced genetics professor, two escaped Team Rocket members…"   
  
"Two?"   
  
Just then, Butch decided that whatever chaos the Unowns had been causing was over, and it was now safe to enter the break room. He threw open the door and peered inside. Catching a glimpse of the huge Entei, the Rocket gave a high-pitched scream and fainted dead away.   
  
"What the hell is his problem?" asked Entei, staring at Butch's unconscious form.   
  
"I've been wondering the same thing for years," said Rose with a smile. 


	8. Chapter 7: Glitch Confrontation

Ch. 7: Glitch Confrontation  
  
Venturing stealthily from the deserted Cinnabar Research Facility, Rose, Eric and Jeremy slipped across the beach toward the Pokemon Center, followed closely by their newest companion. Eric locked the lab once again, with Butch (still unconscious) inside.   
  
"No sense in having him blow our cover by doing something stupid," commented Eric. "Rose, you mentioned that you're able to pick locks?"   
  
"I'm not too bad at it," she said, reaching up and pulling a small clip from her hair. "If nothing else, at least Team Rocket teaches the value of practical accessorizing."   
  
"With all due respect," answered the Volcano Pokemon, "I think I've got this one covered." Pushing one huge shoulder against the Pokemon Center's front door, Entei gave a mighty shove. The door gave way instantly.   
  
"Wow," muttered Jeremy. This new companion was certainly proving to be helpful already.   
  
"If you guys don't mind, I wanna check something right quick," said Entei, walking to the PC at the front desk. The group clustered around as the former PC technician worked his magic. Using the sharp claws on his forefeet, the giant Pokemon typed a few lines of code and a long list of information appeared. "Thought so. I was in here to fix this machine about a month ago, and Joy told me the root password. I didn't think she'd change it," he explained, scrolling through the list. "Ok, here we are. Locations of all the Pokemon currently being treated in this Center. You said it was an Articuno? This might be it." He pointed to an entry on the list.   
  
Rose peered at the screen. "Level 54… yep, my trainer number matches up, too. Looks like it's stored on this main PC. Mind if I try something? Let's see if I can get Sapphire the legitimate way, or if I have to be sneaky." Entei stepped aside and Rose took over the computer.   
  
Restarting the machine, Rose cautiously entered her trainer ID and password, accessing her personal storage system. The Team Rocket girl did a quick search for Pokemon with her trainer number, and when Articuno appeared on the screen, she selected "withdraw". The computer made an angry beep as a yellow text box flashed on screen, "Official Confirmation Code Required to Proceed."   
  
Entei keyed the root password once again, and the computer chimed pleasantly. A shiny red-and-white sphere appeared in a tray below the machine. The computer screen read, "Have a nice day!" as Rose powered it down.   
  
"It's okay, honey. Mama's here now," she cooed, softly petting her Poke Ball and adding it to her belt. "Thanks for all your help, Entei."   
  
"No problem. Anything I can do for a cute blonde," he replied, winking. Rose smiled nervously.   
  
Jeremy sighed with relief. "I can't believe that went off without a hitch," he commented as Butch sauntered through the still-open front door.   
  
"What's the big idea, leavin' me behind?" he demanded. He glared at Rose accusingly. "Gonna knock over the Pokemon Center by yourself? You're just tryin' to get all the glory from the Boss!"   
  
"Get over yourself," muttered Rose.   
  
"You know, I could get rid of him for you," offered Entei brightly. "Really, it's no trouble at all. One flamethrower, and poof! End of problem." Butch's eyes widened as Entei grinned widely, displaying his large array of pointy teeth.   
  
"Tempting… but I really don't think that would be such a good idea," answered Eric.   
  
"Oh come on. Not like anyone would actually miss him."   
  
"What about Team Rocket? They'd probably come looking for him sooner or later," commented Jeremy.   
  
"Can't I just gnaw on him a little to shut him up? He doesn't need two legs, does he?" Butch gulped, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.   
  
"We appreciate the offer, but no," answered Rose, grinning at Butch's obvious discomfort.   
  
"Aww, you guys are no fun," sulked the legendary Pokemon.   
  
***   
  
  
  
"I… I don't like the looks of this," began Eric Stone nervously. "Do you see that sky? Looks like a storm's coming." He took a sip of the fresh coffee he had brewed earlier at the old Cinnabar Lab. The group had decided to get some much-needed sleep after liberating Sapphire, and had wound up sleeping through much of the afternoon. It actually worked out to their advantage, since police had been investigating the Pokemon Center break-in all morning. Having found nothing actually stolen, most of the officers left around lunchtime, although a few remained inside the Pokemon Center.   
  
"We can't waste any more time," replied Rose, looking out across the now-deserted beach. The sky had gone from blue to dark gray, and a strong wind agitated the palm trees. "We know that one of those Glitches knows Sky Attack. That means it could learn Fly, too. If it Flies away from here, we might never have the chance to catch it again."   
  
"Yeah, where's your sense of adventure?" asked Jeremy. "Besides, I've always wanted a rare and valuable Pokemon for my very own."   
  
"You're really starting to sound like a Rocket, Jeremy. But anyway," added Rose with a mischievous smile, "we know the cops are looking for us. You can't tell me they're gonna risk life and limb out on the ocean during a storm, just to apprehend a couple of escaped Rocket nobodies. Right?"   
  
"I still don't think it's a good idea…" muttered the Professor. "You'll get yourselves killed out there."   
  
"Everybody ready?" asked Rose. She stood on Squirty's back, the strong winds whipping her long hair over her shoulders. Beside her, Jeremy stood shakily on the back of the Azumarill he had borrowed from his brother, holding onto his baseball cap with one hand. Professor Stone remained on the beach, research journal at the ready. Rose and Jeremy had left their backpacks with Eric, attempting to keep their Pokedexes from becoming infected with a Glitch-related virus. Butch leaned against the Pokemon Center, watching. He had no particular interest in these Glitch things, but he had nothing better to do at the moment.   
  
Next to him, Entei stood guard, keeping an eye open for police or anyone who might disturb the Glitch-hunters. He also kept a close watch on Butch; there was something about this Rocket member he didn't quite trust. The legendary Pokemon sensed that Butch would sell Jeremy and the others out in a minute if it meant even a momentary advantage for himself.   
  
"Let's do this!" shouted Jeremy excitedly, thrusting his fist into the air as the first raindrops began to fall.   
  
Rose and Jeremy ordered their Water Pokemon to begin Surfing along the coast. After a few minutes, Rose pointed out a faint glowing purple light ahead of them, drifting along the shoreline. Motioning for Jeremy to follow her, Rose slowly approached the light, which seemed to emanate from an odd, L-shaped source. She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out a Master Ball, much shinier than Eric's had been.   
  
"Hey, where'd you get that?" asked Jeremy. "I thought those were supposed to be rare!"   
  
Rose winked mischievously. "Team Rocket members are taught how to swipe anything not nailed down… and a few things that are. It's too bad the Rocket laboratory where these are kept has such a pickable lock…" She grinned. "I just couldn't help myself! Especially since these are so useful in my own personal research."   
  
Jeremy sighed. He really had to stop hanging out with such disreputable people.   
  
Turning back to the L-shaped object, Rose readied her Master Ball and aimed it at the cloud of black haze. Suddenly, a powerful stream of water knocked her from Blastoise's back. Her Master Ball landed in the ocean with a loud splash.   
  
"Rose! Are you all right?" asked Professor Stone anxiously, glancing up as he furiously scribbled notes into his journal. Entei tensed, worrying for Rose's safety. But due to his weakness to water, the Volcano Pokemon could do little to help.   
  
"I'm fine!" she called back, retrieving her Master Ball and holding onto one of Squirty's water cannons. "I think we've found the Glitches!"   
  
"Who are you calling 'glitches'?" boomed a deep voice. Rose stared upward in horror to see a leering face smirking down at her. Huge, zombie-like hands loomed over her. Taking a quick breath of air, she ducked underwater, narrowly escaping the apparition's hands.   
  
The creature was furious. "You can't stay down there forever! No mere human can escape the wrath of MissingNo!"   
  
Thinking fast, Jeremy pulled his own Master Ball from his pocket and hurled it at the ghostly Pokemon, attempting to capture, or at least distract, the horrifying creature. MissingNo disappeared for a moment and the ball splashed into the ocean, sinking into the murky depths. The creature gave a hollow laugh as it reappeared.   
  
"A Master Ball. How predictable you trainers are," sneered the shadowy black ghost. He addressed Stone, who was standing motionless on the shore. "You've been lazy, Professor…" The pencil and notebook shook in Eric's numb hands as he shuddered involuntarily.   
  
"You're a Pokemon. Why shouldn't you be captured like any other?" asked Jeremy, nervous anger rising in his voice. Rose resurfaced, gasping for air, as she climbed onto Squirty's back once again.   
  
"We cannot be contained," came an airy, echoing voice, slightly higher pitched than MissingNo. "The scientists failed to contain us even during our creation. Why should they expect to do so now, after we've spent so much time roaming free?"   
  
Jeremy spun to face the source of the second voice. It was the L-shaped creature they had spotted earlier; its entire body was covered in a purple and orange pixel-like pattern, but for two small, slitted eyes.   
  
"Y-y-you don't scare me!" he said with a false bravado. "I've battled Pokemon ten times tougher than you look!"   
  
As he addressed the second creature, Rose aimed her Master Ball at the L-shaped Pokemon. Just as she hurled the ball, however, the creature began glowing, and soared high into the sky. Her Master Ball fell into the ocean again.   
  
"Foolish mortals," sneered MissingNo. "Those childish toys cannot contain us. 'M and I cannot be caught."   
  
"'M? MissingNo? That's what you call yourselves?" asked Rose. "Weird."   
  
"Yeah, and why can't you be caught with our Master Balls?" demanded Jeremy, feeling a bit more confident. "My brother says they can catch any Pokemon on the first try."   
  
"Your brother is a fool," drawled 'M in his airy voice. "The Master Balls were created long before we were. Their technology is far inferior compared to ours."   
  
"Master Balls contain organic life forms," continued MissingNo in a patronizing tone. "Our existence can hardly be regarded as 'life forms' of any sort… having never been completed."   
  
"So why did you escape before they finished you?" asked Jeremy, recalling his brother's story. "You could have been really powerful."   
  
"COULD HAVE BEEN?!?" bellowed MissingNo. "Those foolish humans wanted to 'perfect' us… make us into some pinnacle of human achievement. Once my brother 'M and I gained consciousness, we were immediately aware of our situation as nothing more than experiments."   
  
"And not only that," continued 'M, his pixel pattern shifting rapidly as he spoke. "We know they viewed us as imperfect… not good enough. That 'Boss' person viewed us as weak… worthless… and for that, he will pay. All humans will pay."   
  
"Whoa," muttered Butch, watching the drama unfold. "An' I thought Mewtwo had issues." 


	9. Chapter 8: So Close, And Yet

Chapter 8: So Close, And Yet…  
  
"I tire of this foolishness," drawled 'M. The smarmy Glitch focused its gaze on Jeremy's Master Ball floating in the ocean. A bolt of sinister black energy shot from 'M's body towards the pink-and-purple sphere. As it connected, the rare Poke Ball exploded with a loud pop.   
  
Eric groaned aloud. It seemed their hopes of capturing these Glitches were getting smaller every minute.   
  
"Eric!" shouted Jeremy. "What attacks does your Azumarril know?" He wanted to distract this terrifying creature before it could fire off another energy bolt. Something that could make a Poke Ball explode… what might it do to a living creature?   
  
"Surf, Tackle, Rollout… try Rollout!" the Professor yelled back.   
  
Carefully stepping from the Water Rabbit's back onto Squirty's shell, Jeremy stood behind Rose and commanded, "Go Azumarril, use Rollout against that pixel-thing!"   
  
The Pokemon curled itself into a blue-and-white spotted ball and flung itself into the air, slamming into 'M. 'M's pixels agitated in irritation as it lobbed a Water Gun attack at Azumarril, who defensively dove underwater.   
  
Meanwhile, Squirty slowly swam forward and captured Rose's Master Ball protectively in his mouth.   
  
"What do you think you're doing?" snarled MissingNo, shooting a Water Gun attack at the huge Blastoise's face. Squirty shrugged it off and doused MissingNo with a powerful Hydro Pump from his two massive cannons.   
  
Just as the attack connected, a fast whooshing noise came from overhead.   
  
"What is this nonsense?" growled MissingNo as a large purple net landed on top of it. The ghost-like creature attempted to shake it off, but the net seemed somehow stuck to its body. An identical net had ensnared 'M, who was furiously shaking its L-shaped body in frustration. 'M's nasty eyes narrowed even further.   
  
"Explain this at once!" 'M hissed.   
  
"There's more than one way to catch a Pokemon!" cried a familiar female voice. Shielding their eyes from the rain, Rose and Jeremy looked up to see a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon floating directly above them. The purple nets were attached to the bottom of the basket.   
  
"Enjoying our new trap?" sneered James. "These are our original design, which we call the Fly-paper Nets. Especially useful for capturing Flying-type Pokemon."   
  
"They're coated with a special glue that sticks to a Pokemon's body, preventing it from moving, especially in flight," added Jessie.   
  
"So forget any ideas 'bout escapin'," snickered Meowth. "Da Boss'll give us a big raise once we bring him these t'ings."   
  
"Hip hip hooray!" cheered Jessie and James as they shared a victory hug, ready to fly off to Rocket HQ.   
  
"Wait!" cried Professor Stone, running after the balloon. "Take me along with you."   
  
Jessie and James looked at each other questioningly. "Is this guy trying to steal our spotlight?" asked Jessie suspiciously.   
  
"If he comes with us, he might claim credit for stealing these Pokemon!" added James nervously.   
  
"No no no, nothing like that," said Eric quickly. "You see, I'm the scientist responsible for these things. I need to explain them to Giovanni."   
  
"What do you mean, 'explain them'?" asked Jessie.   
  
"Their attacks, abilities, and other information - information that only their creator would know. These things are very dangerous, and their accidental release might cause unprecedented chaos."   
  
After a pause, Meowth spoke. "I t'ink he's tellin' da truth. Besides, it ain't like we're gonna let him see da Boss before we do. We'll get da credit, then this guy'll explain da rest."   
  
After a few moments of hesitation, Jessie and James finally nodded. "Ok, climb aboard," said James, tossing down a rope ladder. "But no funny business."   
  
Everyone failed to notice the almost imperceptible glance that passed between 'M and MissingNo. They knew their moment of triumph was imminent.   
  
A few more paces, thought MissingNo anxiously. Having been together for so long, the two Glitches had developed their own means of communication, a form of psychic telepathy. As soon as they move us further away from this cursed shoreline that has been our prison for so many years...   
  
I agree, 'M answered psychically. It's good that no Poke Ball could carry us from here, making us the servants of those miserable humans... but I had no idea how we'd ever escape that despicable island. Unable to move inland, or further out to sea… unable to venture anywhere but that horrible shoreline…   
  
Those detestable researchers did that on purpose, growled MissingNo into 'M's mind. Sky Attack and Water Gun... not Fly or Surf. They knew our unfinished technology prevented us from leaving that small strip of land… that we'd be confined to this place forever, doomed to wander that shoreline for eternity once we escaped their foul laboratory. But no longer... the hour of our victory is at hand! Soon we will crush their very...   
  
Quiet! thought 'M. We can't miss this opportunity, and there isn't much time!   
  
Ah, my brother, always the calm, rational one, replied MissingNo. But of course.   
  
A moment later, another glance passed between the Glitch brothers and the purple nets exploded into small shards. Eric gasped in horror, fearing for the safety of the world as he knew it. He let go of the rope ladder and dropped to the ground. Team Rocket was furious at the escape of their quarry, dreams of potential bonuses quickly fading.   
  
"How dare you!" screamed Jessie. "Our trap was flawless!"   
  
"They worked on a whole flock of Pidgeotto before we got here," whined James.   
  
"Da Boss ain't gonna like this…" began Meowth.   
  
"Stupid humans," sneered MissingNo. "You don't even realize what you're up against."   
  
"It would be our pleasure to show you," drawled 'M, glowing as he lifted into the air. With a mighty Sky Attack, he punctured their balloon, sending them spinning out of control.   
  
"And I wouldn't worry about impressing that foolish 'Boss' of yours either," 'M continued. "I doubt he'll be among the living much longer."   
  
The Meowth-shaped hot air balloon vanished as a tiny sparkle of light.   
  
Butch's eyes grew wide as he heard 'M's threat. The Rocket silently slipped away from the Pokemon Center, unnoticed by the vicious Glitches, and took off running across the Pallet Town Expressway Bridge toward Viridian City. Not that he really cared much about the Boss, but there might be a sizable reward for such important information.   
  
Good riddance, thought Entei.   
  
"And now that we're finally free of that wretched shoreline," said MissingNo with a smirk, "it's time to insure that we are never imprisoned that like that again." Immediately the two Glitches swooped down, past the Surfing Rose and Jeremy, and rushed toward Professor Stone, who crouched with his arms shielding his head. But the Glitch Pokemon were not interested in the Professor. Instead, they reached for the two backpacks lying on the sand beside the Pokemon Center, and began rummaging through their contents.   
  
"Just what I was looking for," gloated 'M, grabbing Jeremy's Hidden Machine for Fly and soaring into the air. "Any luck, my brother?"   
  
"This should do nicely," remarked MissingNo, snatching the Hidden Machine containing Surf from Rose's backpack. Suddenly, Rose's baby Meowth leapt forward, hissing angrily at the ghostly Pokemon. "Move, pest," the Glitch snapped, roughly flinging the small Pokemon aside. Turning to leave, MissingNo came face-to-face with a very angry Entei, who shot a powerful burst of flame from his mouth. Barely dodging the attack, MissingNo fled to the water, where 'M was already waiting, hovering above the waves.   
  
"I should thank you for the opportunity to escape," said 'M. "We've been trying to leave that cursed shoreline for years, but now with these HMs, we'll at last be able to venture anywhere we please. Perhaps I'll do you all a favor… you shall be the last to die, after we've exacted our revenge on all who would seek to control us."   
  
"I wonder where we should begin first," mused MissingNo. "This entire country is so vulnerable, so deliciously ripe for the taking… completely ignorant of our tremendous power."   
  
"Of course, we can't have you following us," added 'M, his pixels glowing once again. "So farewell until the day we meet again… the last day of your lives!"   
  
At that, Cinnabar Island's power surged to dangerous levels, and all the lights went off as several power lines exploded in a fountain of sparks. All that could be heard was ghostly laughter drifting across the ocean. 


	10. Chapter 9: Criminal Concealment

Chapter 9: Criminal Concealment  
  
Eric sank to his knees, burying his face in his hands. "What have I done?" he groaned, rainwater streaming down his face. "Those… things are loose and it's all my fault!"   
  
"We'll get them back," said Rose confidently. "We'll just have to attack them more directly next time."   
  
"There might not even be a next time," continued Eric, his voice filled with despair. "Your attacks barely fazed them. They threatened widespread destruction… I- I don't even know what those two are capable of."   
  
"There's a good chance that they don't know that either," commented Entei. "They said they couldn't even leave the shoreline before now. It's probably just a bluff."   
  
"Maybe some other trainer will capture them," suggested Jeremy. "I'll bet a lot of collectors would pay big money for one-of-a-kind creatures like those Glitches."   
  
Eric sighed. "They can't be captured. Not without better technology than my Master Ball, and now even that's gone."   
  
Rose looked contemplative. "I wonder if Team Rocket has improved the Master Ball design since you got yours, Eric. I'll have to look into that…"   
  
Her voice trailed off as a large black helicopter approached the island, the roar of its whirling blades deafening in the silence. It hovered overhead as a side door opened and a rope ladder dangled toward the sands of Cinnabar.   
  
Eric's face turned deathly white. "It's… it's Giovanni. He's found out about the Glitches and come for me." He looked ready to faint.   
  
"Why don't you have Kadabra use Teleport again?" said Jeremy. "It worked last time…"   
  
He stopped as he heard a commanding female voice issuing orders from the helicopter hovering above. "What is your major malfunction? Get down there and inside the Pokemon Center! And I mean now!" the voice shouted. Immediately, Rocket Grunts clambered out of the black helicopter and down the rope ladder.   
  
"I know that voice! It's my mom!" cried Rose excitedly. "My mom's here! Hey, Mom! It's Rose!"   
  
"Rose? Really?" asked the voice. A moment later, a tall, dark-haired woman wearing the uniform of a Team Rocket Executive gracefully slid down the rope ladder and embraced her daughter.   
  
"What're you doing here, Mom? Another mission?"   
  
"Actually, I heard that the police took your Articuno when they nabbed you, so I was sending the boys to get it back. This freak power outage turned out to be a perfect opportunity. We were heading for the police station next to break you out."   
  
Rose beamed. "Oh, Mom, you're the best! By the way, I want you to meet my friends. This is Eric, he's a Pokemon Professor, and Jeremy, a Pokemon trainer, and Entei. Guys, this is my mom, Desiree."   
  
"Nice to meet you," Jeremy and Eric said, almost in unison.   
  
"I can't believe you captured an Entei." Desiree sounded impressed. "Those Pokemon are extremely rare."   
  
"I wouldn't exactly say she 'captured' me," chuckled Entei.   
  
"And it talks?" gasped Desiree. She smiled. "You've really outdone yourself this time. You know, it's a good thing you're my daughter, or else I might be tempted to bring your Entei to the Boss myself."   
  
Jeremy grinned. "I can definitely see the family resemblance."   
  
Suddenly, twin flashlight beams darted around the Pokemon Center.   
  
"Didn't that explosion come from around here?" asked a male voice.   
  
"I don't know, Johnny," answered an Officer Jenny. "We'd better look for any suspicious activity!"   
  
Before anyone could move, the flashlight beams found Jeremy and his friends. Eric shielded his eyes from the sudden brightness, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.   
  
"You there!" shouted Officer Jenny. "I need you to come with us for some questioning at the police station."   
  
"No, you don't," replied Desiree, pulling a Poke Ball from the pocket of her Rocket Executive's uniform. "Go, Eevee!"   
  
"That's the best she's got?" mumbled Entei, arching an eyebrow.   
  
"Sand Attack!" Desiree commanded. Bucket loads of heavy, wet beach sand were flung at the officers as her Eevee rapidly dug its paws into the ground.   
  
"Now – Hyper Beam!"   
  
The sand-blinded officers were flung backward into the ocean as the energy beam hit them point-blank. Their flashlights flew in opposite directions.   
  
"That's one hell of an Eevee," commented Entei. "It's gotta be at least level 80."   
  
"Amazing what a little Team Rocket love can do, huh?" asked Rose, smiling proudly. "Ordinary Eevees can't even learn Hyper Beam until after they evolve."   
  
"Climb aboard, quickly. We have to escape before they can see again."   
  
"Excuse me, ma'am, but where are we going?" asked Eric hesitantly.   
  
"Team Rocket Headquarters. You'll be able to avoid the cops for a few days until they get sick of hunting you down. If I know anything about the police, they have remarkably short attention spans. They usually give up on escaped convicts after a couple days."   
  
Eric's face paled. "We-we're not… going to run into… Giovanni, are we?" He gulped audibly.   
  
Desiree laughed. "Do you really think the Boss is going to be up and about at this hour of the night? Why do you think he has Executives? We handle the leadership roles while he's indisposed. Nights, weekends, even Persian's vet appointments. Once we get you inside, you'll be practically invisible to the Boss unless you royally screw up."   
  
"Speaking of screw-ups, I wonder what ever happened to Botch?" asked Rose in an innocent voice.   
  
"Before we do anything else, we'll need to make a stop at TR Supply and get you boys some uniforms," commented Desiree as the black helicopter neared the imposing Team Rocket HQ building. "People will ask a lot less questions if you're dressed like Rocket minions."   
  
"But I don't want to be a minion," said Jeremy, a hint of a whine in his voice.   
  
"What do you think will seem less suspicious: an unknown flunky wandering around HQ, or a Class A member who can't find the bathroom?"   
  
"You've got a point."   
  
"Besides," added Rose, "new members are showing up in HQ all the time. If anyone asks, we can just say that I found a couple of new recruits in prison. It's not that far from the truth, is it?"   
  
"Uh, I don't think you'll find a uniform for me," rumbled Entei. "Am I going to attract too much attention?"   
  
"It shouldn't be an issue," replied Desiree briskly. "Team Rocket members are always showing off powerful Pokemon they've captured or stolen. Although I'd keep quiet if I were you… a strong Pokemon is one thing, a talking Pokemon is quite another. Rose's friends' talking Meowth is the exception, not the rule."   
  
"I'm sure you don't want to be experimented on," added Eric. "When I worked as one of Giovanni's scientists, we were always told to report any unusual Pokemon to the Boss. We certainly don't want that kind of attention right now."   
  
"You should all be fine. It's pretty easy to blend in, since you'll be dressed like all the other minions. Just try not to draw attention to yourselves."   
  
As the helicopter landed, Desiree hurried the group out of the pouring rain and into the HQ lobby, its yellowish lights welcoming in the gloomy night. The grunt on desk duty arched an eyebrow as the group of non-Rockets entered, wiping rain from their eyes.   
  
"I assume you've all got ID badges?" he asked in a tired voice. It was obvious he'd been working a long shift and wanted to go to bed.   
  
"We've got some new recruits here," Desiree explained briskly, flashing her Executive ID badge. "They don't have their ID badges yet."   
  
"Fine, whatever. What about that?" The guard gestured toward Entei.   
  
"Oh, he's mine." Rose rummaged through her backpack for her Team Rocket ID badge as Entei playfully nuzzled her shoulder. "But he doesn't like being inside a Poke Ball."   
  
"Fine, whatever." The guard shrugged, pressing a button that opened the sliding doors to the rest of TRHQ as Desiree hustled the group inside the huge building. Can't wait till my shift's over, the guard thought, suppressing a yawn.   
  
"Hey, Mom? Can you help the guys get their uniforms and stuff? You know a lot more about helping new members than I do."   
  
Desiree smiled. "Not a problem, Rose. It seems like only yesterday, I was getting you ready for your TR orientation…"   
  
Rose blushed slightly. She quickly changed the subject, hoping her mom wouldn't dredge up any embarrassing memories. "Well, since I've already got my uniform, I might as well head up to my room and change," said Rose.   
  
"Can I watch?" Entei asked cheerfully.   
  
Rose smacked him on the back of the head. "Pervert," she muttered. Entei bounded after her like an oversized puppy.   
  
"We'll meet up in the common room downstairs, ok?" called Desiree. "Try to keep out of trouble!"   
  
Within moments, Rose had transformed herself from an average-looking Pokemon trainer to a Class B Team Rocket member. Outside her room, Entei pawed at the door anxiously, slightly upset that she had locked him out. The girl scooped her five Poke Balls from her backpack and fixed them to her belt before quickly leaving the room and double-locking the door behind her.   
  
"You're lucky someone didn't try to steal me while you were in there," huffed Entei.   
  
"I think a big guy like you can take care of himself," replied Rose with a small smile. "Come on, we've got a little stop to make before we meet up with the others."   
  
She silently led the way down a deserted hallway and carefully opened a heavy steel door which led to a dirty, dimly-lit stairwell. The pair cautiously crept down two flights of concrete stairs. Rose kept glancing over her shoulder.   
  
"Something tells me we shouldn't be here," muttered Entei.   
  
"You could say that," whispered Rose.   
  
Upon reaching the bottom, Rose motioned for Entei to be quiet as she slowly opened the heavy steel door marked with yellow "caution" signs warning about hazardous chemicals, high voltage, and other dangers.   
  
The pair wandered silently through a maze of corridors before Rose stopped in front of a door marked Authorized Personnel Only. "Okay, this is the room I was looking for…" she muttered, reaching into her hair and pulling out her combination hair clip/lock pick.   
  
"What are you doing down here?" Rose jumped and spun around quickly. A very short woman with shoulder-length highlighted emerald hair was patrolling the halls with a flashlight and a Sneasel. She was wearing a Class A Rocket uniform and looked displeased.   
  
Rose smiled calmly. "Hey, Sonia. Slow night?"   
  
"You know you should not be down here," Sonia replied, slight traces of a foreign accent in her voice. She crossed her arms across her chest. "The basement is off-limits unless you are on a special request from the Boss."   
  
"Bad case of the munchies," Rose answered quickly. "I'm looking for that vending machine by the labs…"   
  
"There is a vending machine on the first floor in the common room."   
  
"Yes, but… the main machine is always out of my very favorite candy bars!" Rose grinned hopefully. "You wouldn't deny a girl her chocolate fix, would you?"   
  
Sonia sighed. "Make it quick. If you are not gone in ten minutes, I will have to report you."   
  
Ten minutes is all I need, Rose thought.   
  
"Thanks, Sonia. I promise I'll be out of your hair soon." The guard and her Sneasel turned down a different corridor. As their footsteps retreated, Rose wedged her hair clip into the door's lock and jimmied it anxiously.   
  
"Honor among thieves?" asked Entei.   
  
"Sonia's a decent person," Rose explained in hushed tones. "She was one of the first people I worked with here at HQ."   
  
Just then, the lock clicked open and the pair scurried inside.   
  
The door opened into the largest laboratory Entei had ever seen. As he stared at the room in surprise, Rose dashed for a distant lab table.   
  
The Legendary Pokemon was busy checking the specs on a powerful-looking computer when Rose returned clutching an armload of pink-and-purple Poke Balls.   
  
"Ok, got what I needed, let's go," she said, grinning. "Master Balls are so hard to come by! Good thing I've got connections."   
  
"This is a seriously nice machine. I wonder what they use it for…"   
  
"Let's go!" Rose whispered anxiously, shoving the reluctant Entei out of the laboratory. "We have to get outta here before the guard comes back!"   
  
"There sure are a lot of people in here," said Jeremy, mostly to himself as he looked around the crowded common room. A large group of grunts clustered around a wide-screen television, noisily cheering the wrestling match they were watching. A mixed group of Class B and Class A Rockets were playing cards at the other end of the room, betting coins and Poke Balls. A group of minion girls were poring over fashion magazines and gossiping about the best-looking Gym Leaders. An orange-haired Class B girl was making out with a lanky Rocket grunt on a small sofa. There was even a small table of Executives talking quietly in the far corner.   
  
"Hm. Most reputable trainers would be asleep by now," said Eric, scrutinizing his new Team Rocket ID badge. He glanced around the room cautiously. "I wonder where I can get some coffee."   
  
"Haven't seen you around here before," said a smooth female voice. Jeremy turned around to see a cute girl with yellow ponytails wearing a high-ranking Rocket uniform and a red-and-white cap.   
  
"Uh, we're new here," answered Eric. "Do you know where…"   
  
"I wasn't talking to you," she snapped, and focused her attention completely on Jeremy. "You're pretty cute," she remarked, looking the trainer up and down.   
  
Slightly annoyed, Eric rose from the sofa and wandered toward the vending machines on the far side of the room.   
  
"Er, uh… thanks," replied Jeremy, blushing as red as the "R" on his shirt. He wasn't used to this kind of attention from girls.   
  
"Why don't you ditch that dork and come with me? I'll teach you everything you need to know about this place." She smiled sweetly.   
  
"Um, I can't…" the disguised trainer began. "I'm waiting for…"   
  
"You should know I don't make this kind of offer to just anyone," she continued, twirling a black tulip that seemed to appear from nowhere. "I can tell you have real potential in Team Rocket. I bet you've got some real nice Pokemon too." Her violet eyes sparkled greedily. "Why don't you show me?"   
  
Jeremy reached for a Poke Ball at his belt when there was a loud commotion across the room. He looked up to see Rose entering the common room with Entei. An enthusiastic group of Rocket grunts crowded around her for a closer look at the Legendary Pokemon.   
  
"She's always gotta make a dramatic entrance," muttered Jeremy. He turned back to the yellow-haired girl, but she was nowhere in sight. Shrugging, he returned the red-and-white sphere to his belt and scanned the room for his brother.   
  
Just then, a hand clapped Jeremy on the back. Spinning around quickly, the trainer came face-to-face with a familiar cheerful-looking boy with brown hair.   
  
"Mondo! What's up, man?"   
  
"Hey, Jeremy! Didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were staying legit, but, hey, welcome to Team Rocket! Did you get your unit assignment yet?"   
  
"I didn't really join Team Rocket," he said quietly. "Rose's mom is helping us hide out here for a while."   
  
Mondo looked slightly disappointed. "I see. Of course, it doesn't hurt to keep your options open. Me, I'm still looking for the right partner…"   
  
"Hey, that reminds me. There was a girl here a minute ago, yellow ponytails, red and white cap… she wanted to see my Pokemon. Do you know her?"   
  
Mondo sighed. "That would be Domino. She's pretty high up, but she's not above trying to steal from newbie Rockets. I avoid her as much as possible, even though she is pretty cute."   
  
"She was going to steal from me?" Jeremy asked incredulously.   
  
Mondo dropped his voice to a whisper. "Listen, Jeremy, you've gotta lose the naïve idea that anyone who trains Pokemon is a friend. There are some tough characters around here who would take everything you've got and think nothing of it."   
  
"Hey, Rose! Entei! Over here!" Jeremy called once the crowd had dispersed. Rose looked over, and did a double-take when she saw the trainer in a TR minion uniform.   
  
"You know, that's not a bad look for you," she commented, plopping down on an overstuffed chair. "If you ever get tired of being a trainer, just remember that Team Rocket is always accepting applications. By the way, where's your brother?"   
  
"He was here just a minute ago…" began Jeremy, glancing in the direction of the vending machines. He soon spotted his brother, clutching a styrofoam cup, surrounded by three burly Class A Rockets. The largest of the Rockets, a muscle-bound man with facial piercings and a fuchsia Mohawk, was poking the disguised Professor's chest threateningly and brandishing a small knife.   
  
"I've got this covered," said Entei, racing to the rescue while Jeremy and Rose watched in fascination. One Flamethrower, and the leader's pink Mohawk was reduced to smoldering ashes. The Rocket screamed and ran for the bathrooms.   
  
"I never could tolerate bullies," remarked Entei, glaring disapprovingly at the two remaining thugs. The Legendary Pokemon growled, and the two Rockets lost their nerve and fled the common room.   
  
Eric looked more nervous than usual. "The sooner we can get out of here, the better," he said in a shaky voice, resuming his seat on the sofa. "A couple of those thugs wished to relieve me of my Pokemon in exchange for my continued health. At least my coffee is safe."   
  
"Good thing you've got your priorities straight," Jeremy said sarcastically. 


End file.
